AS:028 Leveraging Language Diversity for Success

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So hello Accessibility Solutions listeners and thank you so much for joining us again for this episode of Accessibility Solutions podcast making the world accessible. So very pleased to have a good day today.I'm so pleased to have a guest with me today, Drocella Mugorewera and we are going to have a discussion around leveraging language diversity for success. So Drocella is the Diversity Trust Builder. She is a #1 international best selling author, award winning community leader and founder of the Diversity and Action Global Movement, which consults with corporate decision makers on how to increase productivity and profitability by up to 50% through championing diversity in their industry. Drocella speaks five languages and she is a champion of language diversity in schools and in the workplace. So welcome Drocella to our podcast. I like the concept of language diversity because the work that we do, Accessibility Solutions, is all about eliminating barriers. And barriers come in many forms. Certainly language being one of them. So embracing diversity from the language perspective. Please give me a little bit of an overview of how that looks in the work that you do.

So, first of all, I want to thank you for what you do, for inviting me on this podcast. The language plays in what I do because sometimes it is overlooked. As our communities become more diverse and diverse, we should think about how do we include them at the workplace, in our communities and schools. And also from my experience, English is my fifth language and sometimes people see our names and they think we don't speak English, but we do. If I take the American context and, sometimes also people say when they come to us they have to learn. Yes, when we come. I came as a refugee in America in 2009 and I want to tell you, I was educated, I was a member of Parliament and the government, but my transcripts or my degree didn't transfer because people thought I was not qualifying to perform in America. And, when I talk about not living skills because people were assuming that they don't speak the language of the land, they have the skills behind in the talents. How do we help them to leverage those skills and empower them to learn the new language of land? And also at the workplace, there are people who want to champion and to welcome other people who are coming in the workplace but they don't communicate very well. Like let us talk about people who are in the front desk, who are in customer service. So when you teach them another language so they can tell people who are coming to see them to know what they want and then they can serve. So if you empower people from foreign born, and give them opportunity to learn the language of the land being English, being French, Spanish, or another one, it benefits you as an employer because, it in this time or so where people are craving, to have employees who are staying longer at the workplace, this is an opportunity for them to grow the business. And it has been proven that the Scandinavian countries, most of them speak three or four languages, the economy is going up because they are leveraging the languages, at school one way or so when people can help people, who do not speak frequently the language of, uh, business is to have like a language line. Sometimes people use like Google Translate, but sometimes to translate the opposite, but a language line is a professional line where do we have access to multiple interpreters who can help you. And also if you work with universities who are giving English, for example, as a second language, people can catch up quickly. So empowering your employees and giving them the capabilities to be fluent in the language you are working in, but also supporting the university, collaboration with the university isn't a way of bridging the gaps and that, you know, it benefits you and they benefit the community.

Yeah, and I think that I can certainly make the parallel in terms of you've indicated that if people are given the tools, then they can, they can add to the diversity, equity, and inclusion in your business. And it's the same if you are employing persons with disabilities. They may require different tools, but again, it shows that your business is open to that diversity, equity, and inclusion and accessibility, culture. that gives your business a positive outlook, for your customers. So your customers are aware that you have actively embraced that diversity, equity, inclusion, culture within your business. and it's very important regardless of what those barriers are. So if it's a person with a disability that needs some accommodations to be able to work in your workplace, or as you said, someone that has potentially a language barrier, making sure that you've, provided the tools for that person to be able to thrive in your workplace despite the fact that they have a different, you know, a different language. And I like the fact that you say English is your fifth language. So you learned, you know, four other languages. I mean, I only speak English, and a little bit of high school French, haha, because I live in Canada and it's our other official language. But, I know a lot of the work that I do. We have signed sign language interpreters, because again, that is, you know, the people who are, either deaf or have hearing loss, require sign language interpreters. And that is another form of language. And that's a tool that enables persons with a disability being, deaf or having hearing loss to have a tool to be able to thrive within a workplace setting potentially quite often. We see it almost all the time when you see news broadcasts with politicians speaking. They quite often have a sign language interpreter that's interpreting. Closed captioning is another, perfect example of, where close captioning and, you know, the words are running below the video so that, someone that's, deaf or has hearing loss can read what's being spoken. I don't even mind watching close captioning because for me, I can, you know, I can visually see what's being spoken. So I think, yeah, you know, it's that whole concept of embracing diversity and what that looks like is different, whether it's a disability barrier or a language barrier. It's just being equitable and inclusive for everyone. So, you know, the message that you bring in terms of, that diversity being good for business, we, you know, have the same message that, accessibility is good for business because, yes, I agree, you know, we're in the same era of there being a critical labor shortage and being, and being able to address those barriers, be it a language barrier or a disability barrier. It really opens up the untapped labor pool that can be working in your business. So, very much a similar message that we're sharing there. Just equity is just equitable for everyone.

Yeah, so I agree and people sometimes ask me from which language they can start to promote, just do an easy assessment with their clients in your community and start from there. Because, we just have to start from the back here, then the surrounding, yeah, if it's just the start event from one language, second language, but, uh you know, bilingual normally is, considered as a person who speaks at least two languages, but sometimes when you don't speak Spanish in our area, you are not counted as bilingual. So these are the things we have to give, equitable, consideration to other languages, to other nationalities we serve.

Yes, because you know, we're very much in a, I know, certainly in our community, you know, we've seen such a cultural diversity and there are a lot of families in our community that English is not their first language at home. And having that, recognizing that cultural diversity, and the fact that children are entering school expecting to speak English where English is not the language that they've learned at home for the first, you know, four years of their lives. And so, you know, society has to recognize that, you know, we don't all fit into the same box. And I like, I know, so I'm in Canada and we have two official languages, English and French, but I do spend a lot of time traveling, where the native language would be Spanish. For me in high school, we had to take high school French because it was the second official language in Canada. But, if I had to look back at my high school self and say what would be a better language for me to have spent my time learning, from where I am now, it definitely would have been Spanish, because I would have had way more use for Spanish, than I would have for French. I occasionally go to the province of Quebec, where they speak French, but not very often.

So, you can still learn Spanish now.

Yes, I could, apparently they have these apps now you can learn multiple languages. And as I like your, I like your reference to Google Translate. I've used that myself, to be able to communicate, especially via email, if I'm emailing, in fact I was just emailing someone in Puerto Rico, a couple of days ago. And I was using Google Translate to be able to get my message across in Spanish, cause I knew that was gonna be much easier than them trying to decipher what I was trying to say in English. So there, yeah, there are tools available to us which are good for us to be able to use. So just, as we wrap up, what if, you know, I'd like to get, kind of, your final thoughts, your little golden nugget, your takeaway on diversity from a language perspective, how, I, we say accessibility is good for business, but I think diversity in language as you've pointed out is also, good for business. So, yeah, your kind of final thoughts, first we wrap up.

Yeah, and they did develop a tool, 5 ways to leverage language diversity for success and profit. And people can access that through drocella360.com. So to show the corporations and other organizations how they can go by including diversity as a priority. So they can be successful. And I also want to say that imagine if every person I know in America, many learn at least a second language. Imagine for a second, if every person could master the second language, no matter the industry they are in. We can have multilingual people and then investing in the language, it gives you another way of thinking, of dealing with people, and of connection. It's like giving you a key to the VIP world class. So I just encourage employers, especially at this moment when we have a shortage of employee retention, to dig deeper to see how language diversity can benefit them and can benefit our communities.

Perfect. That's, you know, a great way to wrap up and that tool will make sure it is included in the show notes. And, you know, as somebody that works with business in that whole diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility space, language diversity is certainly something that we can include in the resources that we've got for businesses as well. So, Drocella, I wanna thank you for joining us on the podcast today, and, for those of you who are listening, thank you for tuning in. If anything that Drocella or I have discussed resonates with you, please feel free to share this episode with somebody that you think may be interested. And until next time, Cheers.

Thank you. Bye.

Thank you for joining us on the Accessibility Solutions Podcast hosted by Linda Hunt. We hope these discussions have inspired you and provided valuable insights into the world of accessibility and inclusion. If you are ready to take the next steps in creating an accessible and inclusive environment, we invite you to book a personalized Accessibility Solutions Consultation with Linda. As an experienced accessibility consultant, Linda will work closely with you to develop innovative solutions tailored to your unique needs and challenges. Together, you will navigate the complexities of accessibility regulations, explore inclusive design principles and implement practical strategies to ensure equal access for all. Don't miss this opportunity to make a real difference. Visit our website at Solutions4accessibility.com. That is the number 4. solutions4accessibility.com. Schedule your consultation today. Let's transform your space into an inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone. Thanks again for listening to the Accessibility Solutions Podcast. Stay tuned for more empowering episodes as we continue our journey towards a more accessible world.