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Access to information and support for small businesses is set to be easier for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman’s website now supports over a hundred languages for those whose first language is not English.
Ombudsman Bruce Billson says the aim of the initiative is to overcome language barriers and provide accurate help to migrant-run small businesses.
“It’s a very exciting day and an occasion to celebrate the diversity of small and family business owners in Australia. So, we’re launching a website with more than 100 languages to respect and recognize that one in three small businesses run by people in Australia are run by people born overseas, and that our culture and our local business community are so enhanced by that diversity. But at times, if a business challenge arises or a dispute occurs, people would like to engage with the help that’s available in a language that they are most comfortable with, and we’re trying to recognize and respond to that with this translation service on my website.”
Mr Billson says some 23 per cent of small business owners, who sought the ombudsman’s help with a dispute, spoke a language other than English at home and nearly two-thirds of these cases involved a payment dispute.
He says the new translation tool, which can be activated by one simple click, will make it easier for migrant-led business owners to use the many resources available to them.
“We looked at a number of tools we’ve previously focused on about a dozen community languages but felt that that wasn’t addressing the rich diversity in enterprising men and women who were born overseas and who may speak in a language other than English in their day to day dealings. So we’ve turned to Google Translate as a tool that gives us such a greater array of languages, and recognising that a business person who may speak a language other than English, may like to have the comfort and the confidence of interacting with our website, with the language they’re most familiar with, to deal with business challenges and opportunities that they are considering.”
According to the Migration Council Australia, Australia’s population is forecast to hit 38 million by 2050, with migration contributing $1.6 trillion to the country’s gross domestic product ((GDP)).
Although 83 per cent of migrant business owners had never owned a business before coming to Australia, migrants hold 33 per cent of all small businesses in the country.
Researcher and catering business owner, Dr Josephine Okurame is one of the 620,000 migrants in Australia who run a small business.
Dr Okurame says she’s pleased the website has been transformed.
“The first thing that I thought about when I saw the website, it was really impressive, because I actually put my language in. And I was like, this is very inclusive. There’s this sense of commitment that it shows that Australia has a commitment to inclusivity and diversity, making it, you know, making us as migrant entrepreneurs, feel like we’re welcome and we’re valued, and we’re supported as well, which just makes you feel like you belong.”
And Luke Achterstraat, chief executive of the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia says following the Fair Work Commission’s announcement of a 3.75 per cent raise in the minimum wage beginning this month, combined with inflation, small businesses are facing a difficult time.
Mr Achterstraat says the website upgrade is a step in the right direction.
“So we know that it’s a really challenging time for small business, and we know that running a small business can be complicated and complex and costly at the best of time, so particularly when government’s introducing more and more rules, more and more compliance, obligations and red tape, we really need to make sure that small businesses understand what they need to do. We need to make sure that the content and material that we provide is fit for purpose. So what that means is we need to make sure the information we’re providing is digestible. A lot of these stuff is very complicated and complex, even if English is your first language. So I think this certainly a really welcome move to support small businesses, not just in our metro areas, but in our regional areas as well.”
Dr Okurame also believes the inclusive access will encourage and give confidence to more people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities to start their own businesses without the concern of a language barrier.
“As a migrant that is an entrepreneur, I’ve had people come in and ask me how to start a business, and what kind of legal documents are required, what kind of insurances are required, they don’t at support is available. So having multiple languages, increases the accessibility of migrants to the resources and support that’s available to them. ”
The Chief Executive of Small Business Association of Australia, Anne Nalder, says the new feature will break down the barriers and allow more migrant owned small businesses to thrive.
“In Australia, we are very multicultural in this country, I think we have the most nationalities of any country in the world. Now, there is also a language issue. Many of them run very, very good businesses, but don’t necessarily understand everything that is provided in English, as far as compliance and regulation, things that are relating to a small business. So, by having the different languages. That will make it much easier for them to understand, and also to hook into any compliance requirements that they may need to abide by. “
Some users have reported some poor language choices in the in-language versions, with SBS Gujarati program saying the translations may mislead some readers.
A statement from Ombudsman Billson however notes that while efforts have been made to ensure that the tool is as accurate as possible to help migrant-owned small businesses, it still relies heavily on Google Translate.
“Effort has been made to provide accurate translations, but no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace human translators. When we individually assist with cases, our case managers use human translators to help ensure that translations are accurate, and meaning is well understood.”
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