U.S. cities have always depended on the hard work and initiative of immigrants—that’s how we have built our rich culture and thriving urban areas. Over time, the cost of living has significantly risen in these areas, which is forcing many residents into suburban and rural areas. There is also a trend of immigrants who come to rural areas in order to fill jobs in plants and on farms. With the American economy shifts, there are more vacancies in these sectors.
As immigration to the U.S. continues, many foreign-born individuals are in high need of learning English. While there may be support from bilingual family members or friends, everyday life functions are still challenging for them. If your business is located in a rural area, you may have noticed this growing diversity—but why does it matter to your business?
Offering Translation Services
With a store or other simple transactional businesses, your level of communication with individual customers is usually limited. Good customer service involves a smile, a simple exchange and a greeting. However, if your business offers services such as financial advice, medical services, or property management, business and client interactions become much more complex. The lack of communication might make or break the relationship between you and a customer in need of translated material.
Translated materials and interpretation are a great way to connect with your diverse community and can make your business thrive. Here are a few reasons why:
Welcoming and Connecting with Your Neighbors
For most immigrants, having services offered in their own language makes them feel welcomed. It also helps build trust in you and your business—which is key for service-based business models. Connecting with your neighbors is incredibly important when you’re running a rural, community-based business. It is essential that you make an effort to engage with and meet the language demands of the diverse populations in your community.
Increasing Word-of-Mouth Advertising
As soon as you have proven that you can provide accurate and friendly service to foreign customers, they will begin spreading the word. Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the most valuable forms of marketing strategies you can get. People trust their friends and families to make good recommendations.
Regulatory Compliance
It is good business and community building to provide translations and interpretation. In a global market, it’s required, such as in the medical field: you’re required to offer patients care and assistance in their language, with a trained medical interpreter.
Integrating Translation and Interpretation into Your Business
The good news? Providing patients and customers with interpretive services is easier than ever. There is no need to enlist in a large bilingual workforce. One-on-one translation between a customer and interpreter is ideal, but it’s not always possible. That’s where translations and telephonic interpretation come in.
With translation, your documents, brochures or fact sheets can all be readily accessible to your customers. They will trust your business and feel more at ease knowing you have met their needs. You can also use telephonic interpretation for more in-depth conversations. This uses a qualified call center to connect you with trained interpreters, 24/7. When you connect, you are able to hold a conversation in any language. Since this method is paid per use, it is cost-effective and very convenient.
Want to learn more about connecting with your customers through translation? Contact us for a free consultation.