The Importance of Quality Translations in embracing Language Diversity

In Part 1 of the series, we examined how accent discrimination affects workplace dynamics and career progression, often leading to exclusion and financial disparities.

We looked at a concrete example in Part 2 to get a more profound understanding of accent discrimination and its disastrous impact on salaries: Germany, where the regional accent wage gap is equal to the gender wage gap.

In this final part of the series, we'll be talking about multilingualism and how quality translations help build and maintain linguistic diversity.

Providing documents in multiple languages is one step towards increasing language diversity.

Language Diversity: A Competitive Advantage

The title of a study from February 2023 conducted by the Boston Consulting Group hits the nail on the head:?

Inclusion Isn’t Just Nice. It’s Necessary.

Key findings of the report

• Non-inclusive environments lead to higher employee burnout, attrition, and disengagement.
• Companies with poor inclusion practices experience increased turnover, costing significantly in recruitment and retention.
• Lack of diversity in leadership results in missed opportunities for innovation and growth.
• Inclusive workplaces attract more ambitious, diverse candidates, enhancing long-term business performance.
• Employees in non-inclusive environments are less motivated, which affects overall productivity.

“Companies that safeguard against discrimination, eliminate experiences of bias, and ensure consequences for disrespectful behavior directly improve employees’ feelings of psychological safety and thereby improve feelings of inclusion. Employees who experience or even just witness discrimination, bias, or disrespect are nearly 1.4 times more likely to quit.”

Besides, multilingual employees bring immense value.

They can help organizations navigate international markets, build stronger relationships with diverse clients, and offer fresh perspectives on complex problems.

The Importance of Quality Translations

One way to overcome accent bias is through the provision of quality translations of key organizational documents, training materials, and internal communications.

This ensures that employees who may struggle with non-native fluency are not left out of important conversations or decision-making processes.

Quality translations can help bridge the gap for employees who may have excellent ideas but find it challenging to express them in the organization’s primary language.

Moreover, by offering multilingual support, businesses send a strong message that they value linguistic diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can contribute meaningfully, regardless of their accent or native language.

Here's how quality translations help your organization get there

• Preserve Cultural Heritage: Translations in minority languages help preserve cultural nuances and history.
• Promote Accurate Understanding: Diverse translators ensure messages are accurately conveyed across different languages.
• Language Revitalization: Translating in endangered languages can aid in their preservation and revitalization.
• Expand Opportunities: Increasing demand for translations in varied languages creates more opportunities for minority language speakers.
• Cultural Understanding: Translations foster cross-cultural communication and reduce language barriers.

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Steps Forward for Inclusive Organizations

To fully embrace linguistic diversity and address accent bias, organizations should:

• Integrate quality translations into their communication strategy to support employees with non-native proficiency.
• Foster a culture where multilingualism is celebrated and employees are encouraged to use their linguistic skills to benefit the organization.
• Continue to expand DEI efforts to include language and accent bias as critical areas of focus.

By proactively addressing accent/dialect bias and promoting language diversity, organizations can unlock the full potential of their global workforce and create environments where all voices are truly valued.

Language Diversity Is Your Gateway to Having a Successful Inclusive Business

This concludes our series on accent and dialect bias/discrimination.

I hope these insights encourage more organizations to take action against linguistic bias and foster workplaces that are genuinely inclusive.

This article was written in English. Any translation you may see is AI-generated.

To discuss your translation requirements, please connect with me here on LinkedIn, email [email protected], or call +1 438 883 6989 (ET).