How language translation affects diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the modern workplace
Language translation in the workplace has never been more important. In North America alone, 20% of Canada’s population and more than 60 million U.S. residents speak a language other than English at home.
Bilingualism has been steadily growing in the last few decades empowered by globalization and immigration. Workforces have never been more culturally diverse, and this trend is only accelerating at a rapid pace.
Your Business Needs to Support a Diverse Workforce
Diversity has been proven to promote innovation, as you can draw from different perspectives and life experiences to improve business outcomes. More than ever, employers are prioritizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and investing resources into making sure their teams are set up for success. Focusing on DEI is not only the smart thing to do for your business but also the right thing to do as a human and for humanity.
At Sparrow Connected, supporting DEI in the workplace is one of our top priorities and we have the built-in functionality to enable it. One of our key goals is to facilitate the exchange of information and knowledge in any organization. With our technology, the days in which language was a barrier to communication are over.
Automatic Translation is Not a Nice-to-Have, it’s Expected
Nowadays, people are accustomed to automatic draft translations in their personal lives. Google Translate, Facebook and Instagram (just name a few) provide translation capabilities that allow us to communicate with people around the world, enriching our lives and our perspectives.
Your employee experience should be the same. Employees should be able to read and engage with your content in their preferred language. Imagine the power of creating a dialog inside your organization in which every employee contributes in whatever language they speak, removing language barriers like never before. As a result, your employees will be more happier, more engaged, report increased job satisfaction and higher levels of trust.
Your employees will also be safer. Sadly, research shows that language barriers are a factor in 25% of on-the-job accidents. Safety is one area that significantly benefits from leaving no room for information to get lost in translation.
Here are a few eye-opening stats I’ve discovered in my research on DEI:
A robust DEI program helps every employee show their true selves which unlocks higher degrees of engagement, productivity, and innovation that all contribute to increased revenue.
How Sparrow Connected Can Help With DEI
Content Creation, Simplified
From its inception, Sparrow Connected has simplified the process of content creation. Early on, we introduced capabilities such as:
- Copying and pasting content (including formatting from Microsoft Word)
- Adding files, links, videos and images to content
- Automatically translating content to multiple languages
Integrated Language Translation Tool
With Sparrow Connected, communication professionals do not have to jump from screen to screen, copying and pasting from their content management screen to a consumer translation tool. The translation capabilities are embedded right within our content management tool.
Cutting-Edge Translation Technology
We use cutting-edge translation technology from Azure Cognitive Services, which allows communication professionals to create translations with the click of a button. The translated content can then be edited to include images and videos that are culturally relevant or to ensure the exact tone, voice, and meaning are on-point.
Best of Artificial and Human Intelligence Combined
The Sparrow Connected platform offers the best of both worlds. The power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to do most of the job, combined with full human control to ensure its just right.
Eliminate Language Silos, Increase Inclusion
Sparrow Connected eliminates language-based silos. Employees can communicate with each other in multiple languages. The organization’s shared message is accessible to everyone in your organization - helping create a more inclusive workplace.
Communicating with employees and enabling them to communicate with each other in their native languages is one of the simplest and most impactful things you can do to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization today.
What’s Next:
