Belle Kwan is a strong advocate for embracing diverse cultural identities within her family. She is the Founder of Jia Collective, an agency dedicated to transforming multicultural communications and engagement in Australia, and a valued member of our Multicultural Advisory Panel. Join us in this interview as we explore Belle’s unique approach to parenting, her commitment to fostering inclusive language practices and the responsibility of marketers in promoting diversity and respect.
Questions:
1. What does multicultural or intersectional parenting mean to you and your family?
Creating and embracing a blended family of different cultures means celebrating the Chinese, Jewish and European cultures and practices that are meaningful to each of us and raising children who are engaged and passionate about being curious and understanding of all cultures and their traditions, beliefs and practices. Practically, it means a vibrant family calendar that includes Chinese New Year, Passover, Easter, Rosh Hashanah, Mid-Autumn Festival, Christmas… along with Shabbat, birthdays, and everything in between. There’s always a feast to look forward to!
Being an intersectional parent also means taking the time to understand how my values of being from an Asian collectivist community work alongside my new home and children who are raised in Australia and within a society that celebrates individuality and freedom of expression and choice. The two worlds may not always see eye to eye, but the beauty of my position is that I get to cherry-pick what works for my family and I, and what can be left behind. It also means committing to working on myself, and understanding what happiness, family and being a parent mean to me, and constantly communicating with my husband and children so that we continue to allow space for one another to grow and feel seen and supported in our family unit.
2. How do you navigate and balance different cultural values, traditions or languages in your household?
I might have just answered this question above. I don’t think ‘balance’ works, but rather, we create our own journey based on what works for us!
For example, my Jewish South African husband learnt how to read and speak in Mandarin/Simplified Chinese, but we do not force that onto the kids. Similarly, I am strongly passionate about Jewish traditions even though I am Chinese of Malaysian and Hong Kong parentage, so we light candles during Chanukah but do not keep kosher. We are committed to always making fun and enrichment our priority at home – so that our children can grow up with the confidence that they are free to find their own identities and be proud of the many cultures that they belong to.
3. What are some challenges you’ve faced raising children in a multicultural or bicultural environment?
I think the most challenging aspect of raising children has been staying true to our commitment of always asking questions and never doing things ‘for the sake of doing them’.
Yes, this does mean a lot of deep exploratory work for both my husband and I in uncovering our values, our fears, our motivations, our ideas of what happiness/success/parenting represents – and it can unearth some difficult issues that I’m sure everyone faces about their childhood or past, but it is ultimately so rewarding!
I’ve had to question my cultural expectations around academic success and achievement, around body and image judgement, around the role of a parent, around the role of a wife and carer, amongst many other complex layers of being an intersectional person, and be honest about what serves me and my family well, and what does not.
Multicultural or not, I truly believe that to be ‘good’ parents means we have to be happy people who are able to guide our children with empathy and curiosity.
4. How do you address identity and belonging when your child is growing up between multiple cultures?
My daughter is half Mauritian and half Chinese, while my stepchildren are half Caucasian half Jewish South African…. But at the end of the day, they are all young people living in Australia, and we emphasise the importance of developing the curiosity and understanding that differences are what makes each person unique and special, and that we all come with different stories worth being told.
I try and instill in my children the joy of celebration and honouring traditions – that it is a privilege to live in a country and at a time where we can proudly showcase and share our cultures with our friends and community, and that we are all ambassadors of the different journeys and stories that our families have gone through to allow us to be where we are today.
5. How important is it for your child to learn and maintain the language(s) of your culture(s)?
To be honest, one of my biggest regrets is not teaching my daughter how to speak Mandarin from a young age. However, it is never too late! My husband has taken to Mandarin like a fish to water, and that has encouraged both my daughter and my 2 stepchildren to start learning Mandarin as well through apps like Duolingo. It is an absolute joy watching them learn my language, and it brings so much happiness and comfort to me when I hear Mandarin words being peppered in our everyday conversations.
6. Have you faced any resistance or challenges from schools or the community regarding language use at home?
Not at all!
7. How do you encourage your child to embrace multiple languages without feeling overwhelmed or confused?
Learning my mother tongue, or any other language, is never forced upon my children. It is encouraged, and we make it fun, but ultimately it is their choice and I want their motivation to learn Mandarin (or anything in life, really) to be because they see value and interest in it – not because it is forced upon them.
8. How does the choice of language impact the perception of a brand?
The decision for a brand to communicate to its audience in English and other languages not only enables it to create targeted and relevant messaging based on different audiences and their needs/motivations, but it also creates a positive brand image that embodies diversity, inclusivity, and the understanding of respectful and relevant storytelling.
9. How important is consistency in brand language across multiple platforms?
In my line of work, not only do I advocate for consistency in brand language across platforms, but also the consistency of the user experience journey. For example, the use of humour, idioms and cultural sayings differs greatly across languages, so in order for a brand’s message to be accurately understood by different audiences, it is essential for the brand to invest time and research into ensuring the intended message is being communicated across its different language formats. When it comes to user experience journey, many brands/organisations/campaigns invest in diverse languages for its public-facing messaging. However, it is important that once an audience is being communicated to in their preferred language, that same language experience is continued through the different brand touchpoints. For example, while a bus shelter poster produced in Vietnamese will be well-received by a Vietnamese speaker, if they carried out the call to action to visit a website for more information, then information must be provided in Vietnamese to continue this positive user experience.
10. How can misleading language harm a brand’s credibility?
There are varying levels of brand damage that can occur with misleading language use. On a simple level, a mistranslation or incorrect use of words in a different language could cause a brand’s marketing message to be ridiculed or appear to have not invested the right number of resources into checking before going live. However, on a more serious level, this action could repel potential audiences, cause audiences from specific cultural groups to reject the brand, or even create mistrust with potential audiences. Another important caution comes when a brand is disseminating crucial information, whether it be health warnings or government messages. The mistranslation or incorrect use of language can cause the spread of misinformation, which can be damaging and dangerous.
11. What is the responsibility of marketers in using inclusive and respectful language?
I spend a lot of time advocating to both sides of this coin: marketing departments of brands and organisations to always consider the potential and impact of using inclusive and respectful language and imagery (bonus points if they take the further step of creating in-language marketing material), and for marketing professionals from diverse backgrounds to continue to educate and advocate their peers and workplaces on why this is so important as the population of Australia continues to transform and diversify.
Thank you, Belle, for taking your time to share with us!