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Oral mediation

🎯 What is Oral Mediation?

Oral mediation involves conveying meaning from one person or group to another, often across languages or registers. You’re not just translating—you’re adapting, summarizing, and clarifying for the listener.

🧠 1. Understanding the Purpose

  • Clarify information for others
  • Summarize complex ideas
  • Facilitate understanding in a group
  • Bridge language gaps without direct translation

🧩 2. Key Mediation Functions & Phrases

A. Summarizing

  • “The main point is that…”
  • “In other words…”
  • “To put it simply…”
  • “What she means is…”
  • “Basically, it comes down to…”

B. Paraphrasing

  • “Let me put that another way…”
  • “What he’s trying to say is…”
  • “If I understand correctly, that means…”

C. Clarifying

  • “Just to clarify, do you mean…?”
  • “Could you explain what you meant by…?”
  • “So, you’re saying that…?”

D. Relaying information

  • “According to the article, …”
  • “He mentioned that…”
  • “They’ve pointed out that…”

E. Adapting to the listener

  • “In more technical terms…”
  • “For those unfamiliar with the topic…”
  • “Let me explain this in simpler terms…”

F. Checking Understanding

  • “Does that make sense?”
  • “Are you following so far?”
  • “Would you like me to go over that again?”

🔧 4. Useful Strategies

  • Chunking: Break down dense information into manageable parts
  • Prioritizing: Focus on main ideas, skip minor details
  • Reformulating: Adjust the level of formality or vocabulary
  • Bridging Cultures: If cultural elements arise, briefly explain them

📋 5. Example Task Prompts

  • “Explain the key ideas of this article to a friend who doesn’t speak English.”
  • “Help two colleagues from different departments understand each other’s priorities.”
  • “Summarize a webinar for someone who couldn’t attend.”