Tailoring Services to Newcomers

Arriving and settling in a new country is an intimidating experience. Newcomers come to a new place for a variety of reasons. They could have planned to come for education, work, or new opportunity. It is also possible that they have arrived suddenly, and couldn’t have imagined leaving their home the previous year. Whichever way our new neighbours have found themselves in our communities, we need to be ready to serve them, and address their unique needs. There are many factors that could make newcomer populations more vulnerable such as language barriers and literacy skills, though it is important to note that this does not apply to all newcomers. Leaders in businesses, community organizations, and service providers can always look for ways to serve all their customers more efficiently. This article offers some suggestions and practices these community leaders can implement to better serve newcomers.  

Translation and Interpretation 

Language, verbal or physical, is how we all communicate, and it is often identified as one of the more challenging factors when serving newcomers and one of the more intimidating barriers identified by newcomers coming to a new place.  Overcoming this challenge can be easier than you think, especially with advances in modern technology. Here are some things you can consider:  

Documents 

• Have your documents translated into a few basic languages. You can have documents stored electronically and only print when needed. If you have colleagues who are native speakers of different languages, you can also have them read the documents out loud in a private place.  

Signage  

• Signage can also be translated into a few basic languages. This can become extremely important, especially when safety comes to mind.  

Translation Services  

• There are many services organizations can take advantage of that offer 24/7 translation and interpreting services via mobile apps. Some top service providers are: 

• Day Interpreting  

• Language Line  

• Boostlingo 

• Chatlas  

• Voze Real-Time Telephone Translation  

• Say-Hi Translator  

• Google Translate App  

Electronic Resources 

• Almost everyone first visits a company’s website for basic information. Having the ability to translate your website into multiple languages is a great way to make it more accessible to everyone.  

• Google translate offers a translation widget for implementation on non-profit, governmental organizations, and other non-commercial organizations to implement on their websites. This allows the pages to be translated into over 100 different languages.  

• There are other services that will translate your website for a fee. Most offer quotes ahead of project agreement.  

Recognizing Unique Needs for Products and Services   

When curating the products and services you offer, consider creating items that would be great to offer to newcomers and help them with their integration. Below are some examples: 

• Many financial institutions offer “New to Canada” packages to suit the needs of newcomers. A bank account is often one of the first things needed to be established when arriving in a new place. They could include a waiver of fees for the first year, discounted international transfers, and more.  

• Grocery stores could offer a pantry welcome package with some essential grocery items or perhaps samples of cleaning and laundry products 

• Municipalities can put together a book of coupons from local businesses to give to area newcomers. This could be taken a step further and gift cards could be offered.  

• Health Units can make sure to have mental health professionals trained to offer support to newcomers who may have experienced traumas. It would be advantageous to also offer mental health support in various languages. Providers could also host monthly clinics for non-rostered patients who need to see a doctor.  

• These are just some ideas, but the possibilities are limitless. 

Patience 

The most important thing involved with tailoring services to serve newcomers is having patience. Newcomers may already feel embarrassed about not being able to speak the language or scared that they may not be fully understanding the information being conveyed. Think of your interactions with newcomer clients as building a bridge. Both parties will need to work together to reach the middle. If you have a positive attitude and willingness to help, you can find a way to make those connections.