ciency represent a growing percentage of human resources in industries including hospitality , manufacturing , food service , construction , transportation , agriculture and beyond . Imagine the advantage you would have over competitors who didn ’ t think to write their online job posting in Punjabi or Simplified Chinese . Imagine if your employee manual could be emailed to a new hire in perfect Ukrainian , or your Cal / OSHA mandated training was delivered as a Spanish language video sent to your employee ’ s phone .
Employees will feel respected and valued when they receive important company information in their preferred languages . Not only is language access a trust-building tool ; it is also mandated by state and federal law , such as Title VI of the Federal 1964 Civil Rights Act and California ’ s Dymally – Alatorre Bilingual Services Act .
Faulty translation methods and their risks Typically , a business owner reacts to language barriers much the same way they would on vacation in a foreign country . What ’ s the fastest , simplest way to get my point across ? One way is to find someone nearby who you think speaks the language . Another is using machine translation such as Google Translate to muddle through a verbal exchange . Both methods risk inaccurate results .
Utilizing somebody in the workplace who speaks another language may seem like the quick and easy answer to interpreting or translating . However , it may make matters worse . It is important to consider that your bilingual co-worker may be familiar but not fluent in the foreign language . Many heritage speakers ( those raised in monolingual non-English households ) acquired their second language skills at an early age but never received formal education nor any certified testing in the language . What ’ s more , if you do rely on bilingual employees for this service , do they get extra pay ? Do they receive extra time and accommodation to complete their ongoing tasks if they are taken away to provide language access services ?
Apps and websites seem like the next best option for translation . But while speech-to-speech translation apps have improved over the years , they are prone to making odd mistakes , which could be embarrassing in the best case scenario and outright dangerous in the worst .
Health care institutions have long known this , as lives can hang in the balance on the turn of a phrase or on incomplete or inaccurate medical instruction . Patient safety is central to the health care mission , and without professional language access , lifesaving and technically complex treatment plans cannot be meaningfully understood .
How to increase language access for employees and clients There are several approaches you can take toward improving language access for both your customer base and your diverse staff . For employers with staff that speak limited English , you may want to offer tailored English language classes that focus on vocabulary and phrases germane to what needs to be communicated at the workplace . For industries such as health care that could benefit from full-time personnel , hiring an on-staff interpreter might be the best choice . Interpreting agencies also offer expert language assistance services that can be delivered in person , over the phone , or via any device as video remote interpreting .
While it may be easier to think of the world as English speaking only , there are many relationships ( and bottom lines ) that can be remarkably improved through increased language access . Investing in language access can help your business connect with California ’ s growing limited English proficient consumers and employees .
William Glasser is the president and founder of Language World , an interpreting and translation solutions provider . He has over 20 years of language industry experience . Learn more at languageworld . com .
“ While it may be easier to think of the world as English speaking only , there are many relationships ( and bottom lines ) that can be remarkably improved through increased language access .”
William Glasser , president and founder , Language World , Inc .
Have you expanded language access for clients or staff at your company ?
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