Why worry about translating for employees?

• Promote safety
• Promote profits
• Promote communication
• Reduce turnover

This is best illustrated with a brief story about a nursery owner in Boring, Oregon and some of her comments:

Jaycee Newman’s, Inc., had recently purchased a nursery to add capacity to their growing enterprise. This new addition brought with it existing employees who had worked for the former owner. Jaycee and Debbie Newman took the initiative to have all employee meetings interpreted into Spanish. They also interviewed each employee monthly, via interpreter, encouraging their ideas and soliciting their complaints and concerns. In addition, key memos were translated to insure that all understood the direction the rapidly-growing business was taking.

As to why they were willing to take the time and effort, as well as invest valuable budget dollars, to bridge the language barrier, Debbie states:

We needed to bring in these people to our workforce. We wanted to make sure they knew we were interested in them, and we wanted their input and their ideas about how the nursery should run.

But their reasons went beyond business:

We wanted to make sure they were happy. It took a long time to gain their confidence. They realize now that it is not just a job. We want their input and we will listen. Our philosophy is that we are a team and we will work together.

Published in Far West magazine, August 2000, p. 129. Used with permission.