Following a successful partnership with Together Housing, Joe Miller, general manager at language translating specialist Pocketalk, explains how tech can be used to erode language barriers and improve diversity and inclusion
Language barriers, in any sector or environment, can adversely impact the experience of a service. Language is not only a medium of communication, but also linked to an individual’s identity. We believe that everyone has the right to fair treatment and equality of opportunities, and this is crucial in the housing sector given the nature of its role in helping people build communities and settle into an area.
Having recognised that customers and employees in the housing sector come from diverse backgrounds and have a diverse range of needs, we partnered with Together Housing to help the organisation overcome some of the language challenges that they face daily.
And, addressing language differences and the issues they present has never been more important than now. Just a few weeks ago, we saw the UK government launch Operation Warm Welcome. The initiative seeks to ensure people from Afghanistan, arriving in the UK, will receive the vital support they need to rebuild their lives, find work, pursue education, and integrate into their local communities.
As organisations in this sector prepare to play their part in integrating refugees into local communities, solutions to breaking down language barriers must be introduced. Why? Because if they’re not it can have serious consequences.
Misunderstandings, feelings of isolation, and a lack of rapport are all fallouts of language differences. And if the housing sector is to deliver on any kind of diversity and inclusion commitment, it must consider investing in any technology that can help.
Together Housing began using our Pocketalk device last year, and it has had a huge impact both internally within the business and externally with local communities. Tahir Idris, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at Together Housing explains more.
“At Together Housing, we provide and manage over 36,000 social housing properties in the north of England. We also deliver sheltered accommodation and extra care schemes to people that need support.
“To put the issue of language barriers into context for our organisation, around 25% of our residents are from non-White British backgrounds. In fact, as many as 27 other languages are spoken in our neighbourhoods.
“Urdu, Polish, and Arabic are some of the most prevalent languages among our communities. We also have languages as rare as Tigrin, Oromo, Shona, Aramaic spoken in homes that we serve, and it’s those people who speak minority languages that can often suffer the most inequalities and challenges.
“We, at Together Housing, are proud to offer those who don’t speak English, a range of options to help communicate with our team.”
“If the housing sector is to deliver on any kind of diversity and inclusion commitment, it must consider investing in any technology that can help”
The comments of Tahir are echoed throughout the industry. He explained to us that most organisations in the housing sector recognise that they are duty bound to provide interpreting and translation services. Many of them use traditional, phone-based interpreters, as Together Housing has done for many years. These are rightly popular because they require low-tech skills and they utilise the humblest of technologies – the telephone.
Tahir describes that on a call, the interpreter acts as a go-between the officer and the client to ensure both parties are understood. Inevitably there’s a natural stiltedness in conversations due to their very nature and a free-flowing discussion can be challenging.
Together Housing’s use of Pocketalk over the past year demonstrates just how effective tech can be in addressing the issue. The offers an immediate and highly accurate translation solution for up to 82 languages – something that would be impossible to do manually.
Helping to overcome the issues this sector faces is crucial in them serving their communities, across a demographic encompassing a vast array of cultures and languages. The importance of providing a positive experience during an unsettling time cannot be overstated.
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