Don Doughty works at the frontline of recovery, helping clients navigate the often-complex return-to-work process after injury. He is also part of our Multicultural Advisory Panel. With experience supporting both local Australians and newly arrived migrants, Don understands that language can either build bridges or create barriers. Drawing on the support of interpreters and his own multilingual team, he works to make sure every client, no matter their background, feels supported and empowered to move forward. In this conversation he shares real-world challenges, strategies and insights from his work.
Questions:
- What types of clients do you usually face? (international students, newly-arrived migrants, locals). How often do you work with clients who speak English as a second language?
Local Australian citizens mainly and newly arrived migrants. Approximately 20% to 30% would speak English as second language. Vietnamese, Croatian, Hazagari, Urdu, Hindi, Mandarin, Khmer based on my experience.
- What strategies do you use when clients have limited English proficiency?
Request respective interpreter(s) through on-call service
- Have you ever needed to use interpreters or translated materials? If so, how effective were they in facilitating communication?
During conference meetings with clients (workers), there would be an interpreter to translate all conversation and/or discussion.
- Are there specific languages or cultural backgrounds you encounter more frequently in your role?
Vietnamese, Eastern European and Hindi
- How do you ensure that clients fully understand their rights, responsibilities, and the return-to-work process?
Through the assistance of an interpreters, utilising every opportunity to ensure the processes of work cover are well understood.
- Have language differences ever led to misunderstandings or delays in a client’s return-to-work plan?
Yes. And it is understandable as mode of communication e.g. emails may require additional assistance to transcribe the meaning, without an Interpreter present that requires family members or friends to assist in translation.
- Do you receive any training on cross-cultural communication or working with linguistically diverse communities?
No. However, as a multilingual group of staff, we are asked to assist in translating brief generic matters by contacting the clients (worker), when available.
- What improvements would you suggest making communication more accessible for non-English speaking clients?
Majority of our legislature documents, webpage, and platforms of communication are English only if not majority language used.
- How do you build trust with clients when there is a language or cultural barrier?
By providing the support needed e.g. Interpreters and acknowledging the importance of providing essential information to ensure they are understanding the processes to ease their journey towards recovery and back to society.
- Are there common phrases, terms, or documents in the return-to-work process that are especially difficult to translate or explain?
Legislation documents e.g. notices and ACTs section(s). Which may be a challenge for interpreters at times, to specifically translate law lingos.