32: The Importance of Language Accessibility within a Business - with Loretta Mulberry

Meet Loretta Mulberry:Loretta is a passionate advocate for language accessibility. As a business development manager, for Tara Translations a Milwaukee-based language services provider. She's on a mission to improve safety measures and equity for everyone involved in manufacturing and construction. She is born and raised in Wisconsin broad. Who has seen the positive impact of breaking down language barriers in her community both socially and professionally. Loretta is the proud mother of one and a half future linguists and holds a bachelor's and a master's degree from UW Milwaukee in translation and interpreting.Kris: So, tell us what language accessibility means for the manufacturing industry.Loretta: Absolutely. So the United States is not monolingual and mono-cultural, as I mean, we all know that on some level, but it really can feel different because we get ourselves into our little pockets. You know, of course, if you don't speak English, natively, or fluently, you might feel more comfortable staying with people who speak your language better or might identify more with your culture. However, we all work together, and we all live together. And often it's in the same space. And if we don't have materials, such as training materials, specifically, my focus right now, in our native languages in a way that is meaningful to us, we're simply not getting the same access to that information. So language accessibility, means that regardless of your linguistic or cultural background, you have the same access to all the other information out there as your peers as your colleagues. And when it comes to safety and training materials, specifically in manufacturing and construction. There are real lives on the line and you know, there's a high risk of injury and even death in these jobs. So language accessibility could mean the difference between an individual's health and safety and really taking unnecessary risks.
Lori:  So how, in your experience, how do companies justify that investment in language services?
Loretta: Well, I mean, you kind of said it right? In the question too, it really is an investment, there can be a sticker shock associated with it, especially if you're going to go from zero transaction to 100. It's a lot, especially if you're an established company, you have a lot of processes already in place. But the good news is, you do not need to go zero to 100, you can start with the teeniest tiniest baby step because personally, we are at terrible leave. The first step is the most important. So whether it is okay, let's take a look at what our materials are that our most important is our health and safety. Is it our you know, are there legal documents here, HR, what's going to have the most impact on our workforce or on our clients? What are our primary languages, maybe you want to start with Spanish, which is often the case in the United States, but then look into, for example, Hmong, Arabic, or any other languages that might be included in that. So it really comes down to prioritization if you are looking to dip your toes into the water before you really commit. But looking at it in the grand scheme of things, that investment is always going to be worthwhile for a few different reasons. One, again, the health and safety of your employees. I mean, from an altruistic standpoint, at the very least, of course, we all care about people's health and safety. And if they are getting materials in their native language, it is simply going to be a more practical plane is that. Second, you are leaving yourself open to a number of lawsuits in many industries. If you are not properly or not at all translating your materials into other languages. I'm talking, you know, HR departments, I'm talking medical documents, primarily financial, you really want to make sure that you cross your t's and dot your i's in that department.