Understanding the Key Role of Language Access 

These are some of the main considerations you should keep top of mind when it comes to language access in the manufacturing industry: 

• Safety first: On the factory floor, where precision and caution are paramount, language barriers can translate into safety hazards. When workers struggle to comprehend safety instructions or warnings due to language differences, the risk of accidents and injuries significantly increases. Implementing language access measures becomes a crucial step in mitigating these potential dangers. 
• Efficiency and quality boost: Effective communication—facilitated by translation services—is the key to enhancing efficiency in manufacturing processes. When workers can understand instructions clearly, they are more likely to perform tasks accurately and efficiently. This not only contributes to increased productivity but also elevates the overall quality of the manufacturing process by reducing errors and defects in the final products. 
• Cost-effectiveness: While some may perceive translation services as an additional expense, they can be a wise investment in the long run. By preventing costly mistakes and accidents, these services contribute to improved overall efficiency. Furthermore, addressing language barriers can reduce onboarding time and costs, a significant benefit in industries where training is complex and time-consuming. 
• Employee engagement and retention: Language access initiatives go beyond operational benefits; they also play a crucial role in employee engagement and retention. When workers feel understood and included, their morale and engagement levels increase. This, in turn, fosters a positive work environment and enhances the likelihood of retaining skilled personnel in the organization. 
• Compliance matters: In the manufacturing sector, staying compliant with regulations, especially those set by organizations like OSHA, is non-negotiable. Providing training in employees’ native languages is not just a good practice but a regulatory necessity, ensuring that your company aligns with the required safety standards. 

How to Boost Language Access in Manufacturing 

To help improve language access in manufacturing, consider taking these steps: 

• Implement translation services: Utilize translation services to assist workers in understanding critical documents and instructions, including safety guidelines, operating manuals, and employee handbooks. This ensures that information is accessible to all employees, regardless of their language proficiency. 
• Offer multilingual resources: Make the work environment more accessible by providing multilingual resources and tools such as visual aids, bilingual signage, and language-friendly navigation systems. This promotes effective communication and ensures that everyone can move around the workspace safely. 
• Provide native language training: Conduct training sessions in the native languages of your employees to guarantee comprehension. Translate manuals, eLearning courses, and add subtitles to training videos. This commitment to language access will reinforce safety protocols and proper equipment usage. 

The Takeaway 

Providing language support services is not just a luxury but a necessity in the manufacturing sector. By addressing communication challenges through translation services and other language access initiatives, companies can foster improved collaboration, increased efficiency, and a safer working environment for all.  

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To make understanding them easier, we’re breaking down some key terms you need to know when it comes to making language more accessible.

Accessibility language or language of accessibility

The terms accessibility language and language of accessibility both refer to making sure that disabled individuals have the resources and accommodations they need to be able to participate fully in daily activities when it comes to language. This includes things like providing materials in accessible formats (such as braille or large print) or using sign language interpreters for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. These terms can also refer to being respectful and inclusive when discussing disability and accessibility, as well as avoiding using language that is stigmatizing or demeaning.

Accessible language or plain language

Plain language is a way of communicating information that is clear, concise, and easy to understand. It is often used in written communications, such as documents and websites, to ensure that the intended audience can easily find and understand the information they need. A plain language approach involves using straightforward language, organizing information in a logical and clear manner, and avoiding jargon or technical terms that might be confusing to the reader. It is not the same as oversimplifying or talking down to the reader, but rather it is about presenting information in a way that is accessible to all readers, regardless of their education or background. Using plain language can help to ensure that important information is not missed or misunderstood, and can help to make complex information more accessible to a wider audience.

Language access

Language access is about ensuring that individuals who speak languages other than English (referred to as Limited English Proficient or LEP individuals) are able to access the same services and information as English speakers. This often involves providing translated written materials or hiring interpreters to facilitate spoken communication. Providing language access is important because it allows LEP individuals to fully participate in various activities, such as accessing healthcare, partaking in the educational system, and interacting with government agencies.

Inclusive language

Inclusive language is about using terms and expressions that are inclusive of LGBTQIA+ and minority individuals and that do not exclude or diminish them. This includes using language that is gender-neutral or non-sexist, as well as avoiding terms that are derogatory or stigmatizing. Using inclusive language is an important aspect of creating a more inclusive and equitable society, and it is essential for promoting respect and understanding among all members of our communities.

The Takeaway

Language and accessibility are key in our daily lives. Being aware of what each of us can do in these aspects can have a huge impact on someone else’s life. Professional translation services can help businesses and organizations reach their accessibility goals and can help them establish brand loyalty amongst their diverse customer base.

The post Are You Using These Language & Accessibility Terms Correctly? appeared first on Terra Translations.

Today there is greater access to information than ever before and that accessibility grows by the day. While the internet, traditional media, and social media all play a positive role in spreading knowledge, there are times when these platforms are used to spread misinformation (whether it is done so knowingly or not). Thanks to the rise of social media, falsehoods that have the potential to cause great harm can spread rapidly. The algorithms social media brands use to encourage engagement can unfortunately help increase the speed at which misinformation spreads. As of late, misinformation (which is often referred to as fake news) has spread about very important topics such as issues relating to politics and health.

Work is being done to help combat the damage that fake news can cause and social media companies are attempting to shed light on which content is inaccurate by adding links to posts that direct users to official and updated information on the matter.

During the coronavirus pandemic, for example, we saw a lot of this happening in regard to drugs and vaccines, and many platforms deployed algorithms to detect this type of content and block it — especially social media platforms.

Unfortunately, the responsibility to engage with accurate content too often falls on the consumer, especially for those who engage in social media in languages other than English.

The Role of Linguistics in Fake News

The topic of fake news is gaining international relevancy and experts are using linguistics as a means to detect and prevent misinformation from spreading. Linguists in Norway at the University of Oslo are teaming up with computer scientists and artificial intelligence researchers at the independent research organization SINTEF to work to expose the language commonly used in fake news, which they are dubbing “Fakespeak”.

While this interest in learning more about how to fight the spread of misinformation online is excellent news, not everyone in the world is lucky enough to be exposed to these warnings, as oftentimes these detection mechanisms are only implemented and analyze text in English and a handful of mainstream languages. Many of these algorithms have yet to be programmed to work for less commonly spoken languages.

The Importance of Language Accessibility

It’s essential for social media platforms to consider other languages when they implement initiatives designed to help combat the spread of misinformation, as language accessibility is the key to equality when it comes to sharing information worldwide. Nowadays, many people learn the news via social media platforms and they don’t fact-check the information they are reading — they trust what they see.

As the internet continues to play a bigger role in our daily lives, it’s important that these platforms make conscious decisions about this and try to protect as many people as possible. Otherwise, they risk endangering their users who may make important and potentially life-threatening decisions based on the information they engage with.

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Localization takes the translation process a step further by adapting content, video games, services, apps, online courses, and many different types of products to a specific local market. Alongside translating text, localization involves adapting formats, designs, colors, images, payment methods, cultural references, and any elements that can make an impact by being customized to meet the needs of a new market. 

Keep reading to better understand why localization is so important for your brand. 

Deeper connections and improved customer satisfaction

When you localize content or a product to a local market, you can better meet your customer’s needs in that market and can forge a deeper connection with them. Whenever a customer engages with your brand, you have a chance to build a connection with them. From your product, to customer support resources, to your checkout process, it’s important that your customers feel understood and appreciated. When you localize your brand to their unique market, it’s easier to build a natural connection and to improve customer satisfaction.

Competitive advantage

One way to get a leg up on your competition is to localize your products, websites, and brand materials. If your competitors aren’t already doing this, you’re a step ahead of them. If they are localizing their brand to the same target markets, you don’t want your customers to turn to them.

Let’s look at a company website as an example. Localizing your company website to meet your target market’s needs will make it so they better understand the selling points of your products, how to purchase from you, and what they need to do to access customer support. If a consumer has to choose between making a purchase from a brand that takes localization into account and one that doesn’t, there’s a good chance they’ll choose the brand that is easier to understand and that resonates more with them. 

Improved accessibility

Localization can also help increase your brand’s accessibility. More than 5% of the population is impacted by hearing loss, which makes audio and video content inaccessible to millions of people if there are no subtitles for that content available in their language. When you localize subtitles, you improve inclusion and expand your brand reach in one fell swoop. 

Increased customer base and brand loyalty

The easier it is for a customer to interact with your brand, the more likely you are to attract and retain them. If you want to introduce your brand to a new market, localization is a crucial step to breaking into that market. Using a language that your new market clearly understands is of course a key step to take. But again, localization takes translation a step further. Because localization takes local culture into account, you can use this process to avoid causing offense to customers and to create content and products that are more likely to appeal to them. 

At the end of the day, customers who feel seen and heard will always be more loyal to your brand than customers who feel like a second thought. 

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Many people are waiting on pins and needles to see where this technology can take them, but there’s no guarantee that every fan of the metaverse will be able to access this new virtual world. Why? Chances are, non-English speakers can struggle or fail to access the Metaverse if linguistic barriers leave them at the door.

Let’s take a closer look at why global access matters in the metaverse.

Increased Accessibility

For the metaverse to be truly global, accessibility in all its forms should be considered. Language is one of the elements that can really make a difference when it comes to accessibility as not everybody speaks English as a first or even second language.

Horizon Worlds learned this lesson the hard way when they launched in Spain and France, but failed to localize their content in Spanish or French. The native speakers in those regions who didn’t speak English were left confused. Even if a brand eventually localizes their products, they miss out on a lot of opportunities to attract a new audience from the get-go by not localizing their content from day one. Not only can the technology be unusable, but the audience can feel that the products weren’t designed for them and can lose interest in any future launches in their native languages.

Improved Engagement

The entire point of the metaverse is to create a more cohesive, web-like, integrated virtual experience, with new entertainment options and immersive experiences. But how can someone truly become immersed in a virtual world if they don’t understand the language they need to speak and therefore can’t fully interact in that space? This is why localization is the key to not just accessibility, but to engagement as well.

Companies can encourage customers to engage with their brand in the metaverse by creating virtual goods, branded games, and AR and VR showrooms. With the metaverse still being a new experience for consumers, brands have the chance to really stand out in this space, but can quickly lose their customers’ focus by not creating an experience they can understand and deeply engage with due to language barriers.

While the full potential of the metaverse is yet to be seen, the following industries are already anticipating being able to make big moves in this space:

• Gaming
• Digital marketing
• E-commerce
• Education
• Social media
• Fitness
• NFTs
• Digital art
• Entertainment
• Fashion
• Architecture
• Engineering
• Manufacturing
• Learning and development

The Takeaway

Investing in creating a brand presence in the metaverse will require a lot of time and money from brands. The last thing they want is for their investment to fall flat due to a lack of accessibility and engagement because of language barriers. Localizing content into an audience’s native language before launching in their market is key to capturing their initial attention and to retaining them in this virtual space. It’s important to remember that English is not as universal of a language as it gets credit for and that your customers will want to engage with a world they can understand and connect with.

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Let’s take a closer look at what language access is, why it matters, and how much of the U.S. population it can affect.

What is Language Access?

Language access is an important aspect of accessibility for people with limited English proficiency (LEP). The term language access refers to the ability of individuals to communicate effectively and access information, services, and opportunities in their preferred language. Similar to how certain accommodations must be made for those with physical disabilities (such as businesses having wheelchair ramps), language access is a key element to building an inclusive society.

Why is Language Access important?

Language access can help ensure that LEP individuals have equal access to services and opportunities, all while reducing barriers and promoting inclusivity. This can be especially important in situations where individuals rely on services for essential needs, such as healthcare, education, or legal assistance.

For example, medical patients need to be able to communicate with their medical care team in a language they fully understand. That way, there is no confusion around a diagnosis, treatment, or prescription. Not being able to fully understand medical care can lead to dangerous results. Even medical records and insurance claims can benefit from embracing language access.

Understanding LEP in the US

To better understand why language access matters, it’s important to have context surrounding just how many people this affects in the U.S.

LEP individuals don’t speak English as their primary language and have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that nearly 21 percent of the U.S. population speaks a language other than English, and of that percentage more than 40 percent speak English less than “very well.”

It’s easy to see how a large amount of the U.S. population could lose equal access to vital education, legal, or healthcare services due to language barriers.

The Takeaway

It is important for organizations and businesses to be aware of the language needs of their customers and clients and to take steps to provide language access when necessary. This can involve providing interpretation services, offering materials in multiple languages, or hiring staff who speak multiple languages. Hiring professional translators to translate content can help improve language access across a wide variety of industries. You can work with a highly specialized translation company to ensure you’re providing clear and correct content to LEP individuals.

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Let’s examine how language shapes our perception of gender and how this issue can be addressed. 

Why Gender-Neutral Terms Matter

For those who don’t spend much time thinking about how our language choices influence the world around us, the debate over gender-neutral language choices may not seem all that important. However, studies have shown that gendered language can have repercussions. A 2019 study found that using gender-neutral pronouns actually increases positive attitudes towards women and LGBTQ+ community. This happens by reducing the prominence of male identity, which can lead to less gender-based bias.

Language can direct or redirect our attention to certain aspects of reality. For example, someone who is a bilingual Spanish and English speaker, may find themselves less likely to use male and feminine distinctions when they speak English compared to when they speak Spanish. While it can be difficult to change an entire culture, introducing gender-neutral language options can have an impact on the people who employ or are exposed to them. For example, Japanese is another language that has gender influences. The Japanese language reinforces how men and women should speak, with women being expected to be more polite, indirect, and subtle. Many different languages have inverted gender for the same nouns or concepts, but not all languages have marked gender. English does not, which makes it easier to convert English language choices to gender neutrality. Introducing gender-neutral language choices in Japan could lead to less of those stereotypical gender reinforcements. 

Gender Prejudice in Language

Nouns across many different languages can be gendered. Whether or not a noun is considered female or male can alter how the speaker perceives that specific word and often impacts the adjectives they choose to describe that noun. Research has uncovered how people describe objects often correlates with the object’s given gender in a language. For example, in German, the word “bridge” has a feminine pronoun, so Germans are more likely to call bridges beautiful or elegant (traditionally feminine traits). In Spanish, the word “bridge” is masculine and is typically referred to as strong or sturdy. It’s easy to see how gendered language can, in a certain way, limit us or lead to certain prejudices.

Does Language Shape How We Think?

It appears that language does shape how we think. As we can see from the examples above, the gender association words have in different languages does have an impact in how we perceive reality. Once you acknowledge that, you can start making conscious decisions in word choices that are more gender neutral and inclusive. Little by little, languages can become more inclusive by means of their own speakers and effect change in the culture.

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What is an IEP?

An IEP is a written statement that maps out an education program that was specifically designed to meet a select child’s education requirements. If a child receives special education services, they must have an IEP that will serve two purposes. First, it should outline reasonable learning goals for the child. Second, it should highlight the services the school district will provide for the student. The IEP will be reviewed annually in order to determine whether the educational goals are being met or if they need revision. 

The IEP will examine not only a student’s weaknesses, but their strengths as well. It will set goals for the student and educators to meet and ideally will help foster the success of the student. All IEPs must contain information such as: 

• Detailed analysis of the student’s current academic performance and challenges faced.
• Reasonable annual goals for the student determined by the school and parents.
• What special education and other services are available to the student, such as working with a supplementary aid.
• How often the student will be separated from nondisabled children for educational or extracurricular purposes.
• A plan for how the student can take part in state and district-wide testing.
• A schedule of services and modifications.
• An assessment of how progress toward annual goals will be measured. 

Why Would an IEP Need Translation?

It is essential that Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students and families have access to properly translated IEPs. An IEP is a foundational document for students with special needs who require additional educational support. Not only should the initial IEP document be accessible to students and parents in a language they are proficient in, but other language support should be provided to them. Such as interpretation for IEP-related meetings or translated documentation throughout the life of the program.

The Legal Responsibilities Associated with the Translation of IEPs

When it comes to making accessible IEPs a reality to LEP students and parents, we have Title VI to thank. This civil rights law determined that federally-funded school districts and state educational agencies have to provide language assistance to LEP students, as has the Equal Opportunities Act. As the United States has declared IEPs are vital to the education process, LEP parents of children with disabilities must receive proper and timely access to complete oral interpretations and translated documents when necessary.

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Why Language Access Matters

Language barriers can become even harder to break through once you begin to involve complex scientific and medical terms. This lack of understanding can lead to devastating results. During the coronavirus pandemic, researchers found that communities with high populations of non-English speakers had more cases of COVID-19 than English-speaking communities and, as a result, higher amounts of COVID-19-related deaths. Coronavirus incidence rates were as much as 14.3% greater in communities with high populations of non-English speakers. Some experts worry that this is because of language barriers that make it hard to understand the public service announcements that share essential public health guidelines surrounding social distancing, masks, and other strategies for avoiding contracting the virus. 

A Disservice to Vaccine Distribution

In order to properly, and safely, distribute vaccines, the proper distribution of information is necessary. Language barriers can discourage consumers from feeling comfortable getting a vaccine and understanding what the risks are, as well as how to get one if they do want one. 

Language barriers are leading to low vaccination levels for Hispanics in North Carolina. Even though Hispanics make up 10% of North Carolina’s population, only about 2.5% of all coronavirus vaccines administered in the state have gone to Hispanic recipients. Enrolling to receive a vaccine online may be causing problems for non-English speakers who can’t understand the website and the enrollment process. Even though many health departments offer phone assistance in Spanish, a lack of staffing can lead to long wait times and a lack of assistance. A properly translated website could easily increase access to vaccines for the Hispanic community in North Carolina. 

How Human Translation Can Help

When it comes to translating medical information around complex topics like vaccines and their distribution, there seems to be some confusion as to why unsupervised machine translation tools cannot get the job done. As advanced as that technology is becoming, terms and phrases that are more nuanced often end up literally getting lost in translation. For example, recent mistranslation-related events in Virginia caused mass confusion. After utilizing Google to generate a translation of the Virginia Department of Health’s website, their Spanish readers were under the impression that the COVID-19 vaccine was “not necessary.” Why? Because the website showed a translation of “the vaccine is not required” as “la vacuna no es necesaria”, which in Spanish means “the vaccine is not necessary.” 

It’s easy to see how this faulty translation caused misunderstandings that can have a life or death impact. Working with a human translator can help avoid any misunderstandings caused by syntax choices. Translators not only take word choice into account, but cultural and historical influences that can impact how a translated work is perceived.

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What is Mobile Learning?

The term mobile learning, also known as m-learning or mLearning, refers to educational content that the user can access on a mobile device like their smartphone or tablet. This may be a blog post, podcast episode, or a full-blown e-learning course.

Mobile learning has so much potential, the convenience and ease of access being one of the main benefits for consumers. There are 3.5 billion smartphone users in the world, which means that mobile learning resonates on a global scale. 

Mobile learning works well in tandem with microlearning. This technique can offer both formal and informal educational training. Where does the micro in microlearning come into play? Microlearning presents smaller blocks of content, which allows the user to quickly and easily access information. This is an ideal format for those utilizing a mobile device. Microlearning can come in the form of a video, social post, email, or any type of content that is quick and digestible and easy to access on a mobile device. 

The Benefits of Mobile Learning

Before diving into the benefits of mobile learning, take a look at some interesting statistics. 72% of mobile users reported increased engagement, 45% of smartphone users completed their courses faster than those who used a computer, and 70% of people felt more motivated to learn when they were able to utilize mobile based learning. 

These numbers are pretty impressive, so let’s break down the benefits of mobile learning further:

• Convenience: The user can access their e-learning materials anywhere at any time. 
• Engaging: Creators can personalize content interactions in a way that is motivating and engaging for users. 
• Collaborative: Users can utilize online communities to communicate with other learners.
• Digestible: When using microlearning in tandem with mobile learning, the information presented can be digestible and easier to retain.

Why Design Matters

When it comes to mobile learning, proper design is of the utmost importance. When creating e-learning content, it’s key to design the content using a mobile-first approach. It’s no longer enough to make it mobile friendly or mobile responsive. It has to feel like it was always meant to be consumed from a mobile device. A course with faulty buttons or media that doesn’t work properly could have a counterproductive effect. Mobile users who try to consume content that was not designed specifically for mobile devices can get frustrated and may drop the course altogether.

Developing designs that adapt to a variety of device sizes may take more effort upfront, but the rewards will be worth it if you can attract users on a desktop, smartphone, or tablet. Creating content that is compatible for mobile devices will allow the users to access the e-learning content whenever and wherever they please and will give the creator the opportunity to take advantage of gamification techniques and video-based content.Another step worth taking now rather than later is to create content with internationalization best practices in mind. If the course will be later localized into multiple languages, course developers should follow internationalization best practices from the get-go to prevent having to do extensive work later on. Internationalization falls under globalization and can help adapt a product to a new market with ease. Similar to keeping design in mind up front, internationalization should be prioritized early on as well.

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