The modern business world involves working with people from all walks of life. In many cases, this involves speakers of minority languages who don’t have any significant skills in English. Those situations can be challenging. It’s important to approach them with the right attitude if you want to build close relationships with your customers. Paying attention to these issues can also help you establish a respected position in the market.
Our work at The Language Doctors has taken us through many different clients, each with their own unique requirements in this regard. The cumulative experience we’ve gained over the years puts us in a great position to guide you through the whole process. Let’s take a look at some of the challenges and opportunities involved in communication with minority language speakers.
Common Challenges when Working with Minority Languages
Various challenges can arise when working with speakers of minority languages. Those include:
- A language barrier impairing communication
- Cultural differences that lead to misunderstandings
- Limited access to support resources for minority language speakers
Some of those are easy to anticipate, while others require a more experienced approach. You will frequently have to deal with a language barrier at the very least.
However, remember: other issues can come up as well. Cultural differences are a common example, and something we’ve had to address frequently in our work with clients at TLD.
Aligning Multiple Different Perspectives
You will encounter various situations when working with speakers of minority languages where your perspective doesn’t align with that of the other party. You might not always agree with those differences. Sometimes you might even have to argue against them in a constructive manner. But it’s important to respect different points of view and take them into consideration whenever you can.
We at The Language Doctors have experience working with speakers of minority languages. This has allowed us to understand those interactions in detail. We know how to navigate those situations with confidence. We approach every case with care and sensitivity, and always probe for feedback to ensure that we’re on the right track.
Avoiding Cultural Issues
Cultural issues are among the biggest problems that can come up when working with minority language speakers. Even though you might mean well, sometimes your statements might be interpreted in the wrong way. This can steer the whole conversation in the wrong direction.
The fallout from these kinds of conflicts can be significant and can sometimes pose a great challenge for your organization. You have to take these issues seriously and always make sure to work with someone who does so as well. At The Language Doctors, we’ve seen all sorts of unpleasant developments arising from seemingly small misunderstandings – but none of those have involved our clients or our own work.
For example, a problem we’ve observed frequently is the misuse of words that have a completely neutral, innocent meaning in one language, but carry a lot of weight in another. In many cases, people don’t even realize that their words can have an offensive meaning in the context of another language. That’s why we at TLD encourage you to reach out to us as soon as you know that you’ll need help navigating cultural differences. The sooner we start our partnership, the more productive it can be in the long run (and you won’t find yourself in a trap communicating with a native speaker of the language you don’t speak).
Adapting Your Presentation to Different Communities
As we mentioned above, sometimes you might have to present the same materials to different language communities. Even though it might not be obvious, you might have to modify those materials to ensure that they are acceptable for each individual recipient. This is where working with an advanced localization service can be helpful – and this type of work is something we know how to handle in great detail.
The modifications that you would be expected to make are not always immediately obvious. At least not to someone without specific experience in the field. This won’t be a concern if you’re working with a translation agency with sufficient expertise. Experienced translators and interpreters will know exactly how to localize different materials to make them suitable for different cultures. This takes more than language skills – it requires a deeper understanding of specific cultures.
Building a Relationship on Mutual Respect
Respect can go a long way in any interaction, but especially in situations where one party feels at a disadvantage. This is often the case when working with minority language speakers. You have to make sure that you approach those situations with as much respect as you can. Always probe for the reaction of the other side to ensure that you’re on the right track.
A good translation agency will be able to help you out with that. When working with someone like The Language Doctors, you will not have to second guess any of your statements. You’ll know that everything you say contributes towards building mutual respect.
Simply Understanding the Language Is Rarely Enough
As you can see, you need to go beyond basic understanding of the language. You have to also be aware of the specific cultural implications of everything you’re saying. However, it can take years – in some cases even decades – to get to the point where you can navigate multicultural situations with confidence. For these reasons and more, you should always make sure to work with a qualified translation and interpretation service provider. One of the best advantages that these agencies bring to the table is that they understand the cultures and not just the languages. Here are some additional points to consider:
- Work with experts with real-life experience with specific cultures
- Receive direct guidance in your localization work, allowing you to adapt it as precisely as possible to different requirements
- Defuse cultural conflicts and prevent them from reoccurring
Understanding the complex nature of situations involving minority language speakers is important. Various organizations have been putting a lot of effort into that in recent years. At a government level, the European Union has funded several related projects. One notable example is the Lifelong Learning Programmer.
The Language Doctors has taken a lot of time to study the field in this regard, and we’ve gained a lot of knowledge on the impact of language barriers on effective communication. Our experts recently published a whitepaper on the benefits of working with a professional translation service, and we’ve touched on the subject of cultural differences as well – check it out if you’re interested in our stance on the subject: https://thelanguagedoctors.org/white-paper/
Translating Between Less Common Language Pairs
Another important benefit of working with a qualified interpreting agency is that they will be familiar with multiple language pairs. This includes some more obscure ones. You won’t always have to translate to and from English. Sometimes you might find yourself in unique situations where you need expertise in multiple languages. This is rarely something you can bring to the table yourself. And it’s a great reason to work with an experienced translation service provider.
Identifying the Languages That Should Be Emphasized
Sometimes you might not even be aware of the exact languages that you should emphasize in your work. If you live in an area with multiple minority communities, it can be difficult to know what to prioritize. Not when you’re working with an experienced agency, though.
At The Language Doctors, we take great pride in understanding our local market and we’ve taken a lot of time to study the needs of our clients in detail. The same approach helped us establish a solid international presence, where we’ve adapted our services to the individual needs of each market we operate in. We can help you identify the exact languages that you need to emphasize in your work, and we will prioritize them in translating your documents or providing you with interpreting services or anything else you might need.
Not only that, but our interpreting specialists are well aware of the cultural implications of all languages they work with. Thus, we bring even more value to your organization in a way that few other interpreting agencies are capable of doing. Our extensive experience in the field has shown us that you can’t treat translation and localization as an afterthought. You have to prioritize these aspects of your work from early on, and ensure that you’re always aligned with your partners and customers about that.
The Language Doctors works with translators specializing in various minority languages, including rare and obscure ones that can be difficult to find a translation partner for.
One example that frequently comes up in our work is Tagalog, an Austronesian language currently spoken by about a quarter of the population of the Philippines. This language is a good example of some of the common challenges in this line of work. Just like English, Tagalog has many idiomatic expressions which can’t be translated directly. Interpreters often face difficulties in conveying the intended meaning naturally.
Conclusion
There are many unique challenges and opportunities in working with speakers of minority languages. As you can see, it takes a lot to ensure that nothing goes wrong in this type of communication. That’s why we encourage you to reach out to The Language Doctors and see what we can do for you. We have worked with many organizations over the years, and we have developed extensive relationships with different communities. We understand your requirements better than most, and we are prepared to dig as deeply into your situation as we need to. Contact The Language Doctors today: https://thelanguagedoctors.org/
