Moving to a new country poses many challenges for immigrants, from getting used to American customs to figuring out how to get basic needs met to understanding how to navigate our social support systems and services. English proficiency varies, and even those with strong language skills may need help with complex terminology in healthcare, legal, or financial settings. On top of this, interactions with government agencies and medical facilities can be particularly stressful and emotionally charged, adding pressure to already difficult situations.
Supporting immigrants with limited English proficiency (LEP) starts with recognizing their everyday challenges and responding with empathy and support in specific ways. Before we discuss how to help immigrant communities, let’s look at why it’s essential and how it benefits everyone involved.
Understanding Immigration in the US
In the past two years, the US foreign-born population has grown at a record pace, reaching 51.6 million by March 2024. And the American labor market continues to attract immigrants, so the number will continue to grow.
This immigration directly impacts organizations and communities nationwide. Immigrants work in every industry and vertical, from construction to hospitality to tech, and immigrants use services in the medical, educational, legal, banking, and non-profit sectors.
It’s certain that you already support this community at some level: it’s not just the right thing to do, but a legal requirement.
Federal and state laws mandate that essential services in healthcare, financial services, and public education be accessible to non-English speakers and marginalized communities. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act are just two laws requiring language assistance, interpretation services, and culturally competent care.
Beyond legal obligations, adapting your services to meet their needs can expand your customer base, strengthen community ties, and improve trust for your organization.
The good news is that supporting immigrant communities starts with small, thoughtful actions that build trust and show genuine care. The most practical ways to make a difference are to provide language support across multiple communication channels, promote cultural awareness, and simplify interactions for all parties involved. Here are seven key ways your healthcare organization can start supporting immigrant communities.
1. Offer Language Support
First and foremost, the immigrant community needs help with communication—which starts with offering assistance in their preferred language.
Here’s how to make your services more accessible:
- Translate key materials, like service descriptions, instructions, and legal notices, into the primary languages spoken in your community. Clear, well-translated materials empower non-native English speakers to make informed decisions confidently.
- Provide real-time interpreting services to bridge language gaps in critical conversations. In-person interpreters are ideal for detailed or sensitive discussions, such as legal consultations or medical appointments. OPI or VRI can be flexible options for remote clients or when in-person support isn’t possible.
- Keep language simple. Avoid legalese or technical jargon when possible.
- Provide accessible communication channels, such as a multilingual website with a language selection menu on the homepage. For those who prefer written communication, use chat or SMS services.
When you offer language support, work with professional translators. Automated tools like AI are fast and can be appealing, but mistranslations likely cause more confusion than actual help and worse, the errors and omissions that are common can cause harm.
2. Create a Language Access Plan
A language access plan is a strategic roadmap for ensuring that individuals with limited English proficiency can access essential services and information. It defines how an organization will provide language services, including translation and interpretation, to address community needs effectively. This way, organizations can structure their efforts in a consistent, measurable way, ensuring that language support is delivered where it’s needed most.
A language access plan enables you to:
- Assess community needs — Identify key touchpoints where language services are essential.
- Define service scope, resources, and costs — Establish a clear framework for delivering language support.
- Train staff — Teach employees about inclusivity, civil rights compliance, and accessibility best practices.
This proactive approach ensures that everyone receives the necessary support regardless of language, leading to better outcomes for all parties involved.
Click here for our ebook that guides you through it step-by-step: A Straightforward Guide to Language Access Planning
3. Develop and Promote Cultural Sensitivity
Cultural awareness goes beyond speaking the same language to understanding and respecting people’s beliefs, values, customs, and preferences. Cultural differences can surface in areas like what you do or do not talk about in public, personal space, family roles, attitudes towards mental health, and decision-making processes.
Having this specific knowledge about cultural norms enables empathy and understanding, and using this knowledge to adjust how your team interacts can make a big difference. For example, in many cultures, mental health is seen as a personal or family issue rather than a medical one. The same is true for topics like birth control, fertility treatments, and end-of-life care. A doctor or counselor would approach these topics differently knowing this.
It’s also important to understand and acknowledge that many immigrants come from conflict zones and political instability. Think of a government worker helping a refugee family apply for housing. They have trauma on top of the disruption of simply trying to adjust to life in a new country, so they might hesitate to share personal information, fearing government surveillance based on past experiences in their home country. Explaining privacy protections in clear, reassuring terms can ease their concerns and build trust.
4. Train Your Staff
Staff needs be trained in the specifics of supporting your immigrant community members. Focus staff training on these key areas:
- Cultural sensitivity — Help staff understand that customs and social norms differ for every major immigrant community so they can empathize with and understand the people your organization serves.
- Language access procedures — Your employees should know how to request language services, use the organization’s language access plan effectively, and locate translated materials.
- Non-biased interactions — Train employees not to make assumptions about the people they help. Everyone has unique experiences, and treating each interaction with respect and an open mind helps build trust and understanding.
- Phone interactions — Since visual cues aren’t available, phone conversations can be challenging for individuals with limited English skills. Staff should speak slowly and clearly, avoid slang, and pause often to check for understanding. Summarizing key points before ending the call ensures clarity while offering callbacks gives clients time to gather information and return with questions. Multilingual phone trees also make navigating phone systems easier.
5. Hire Bilingual Staff
If the majority of immigrants your office supports are primarily from one culture, then hiring bilingual staff can be invaluable for communicating, building trust with them, and improving their use of your services. Having team members who speak commonly used languages in your area can make customers feel more at home when they visit or contact you.
A bilingual staff member can:
- Step quickly in high-pressure situations to interpret and/or communicate critical information accurately, potentially preventing serious misunderstandings.
- Help navigate cultural nuances and reduce misunderstandings in one-to-one interactions.
- Assist in training other team members on cultural norms and best practices for working with diverse populations.
- Support outreach efforts by participating in community events and helping the organization build trust with multilingual communities.
However, bilingual staff must most often take on dual roles, performing their primary job duties and also serving as interpreters when needed. Not every employee will be comfortable balancing these responsibilities and expecting them to do so without proper training and support can lead to burnout and job dissatisfaction.
Consider offering additional compensation or professional development for language-related responsibilities. When possible, supplement bilingual staff with professional interpretation services to ensure no one feels overburdened.
6. Simplify Processes
There are several ways that communications can be simplified so that they are easy to understand for people with varying levels of English proficiency:
- Develop clear, easy-to-understand instructions and materials. Visual aids like infographics, diagrams, or multilingual videos can simplify complex steps, making processes easier for an audience with varying literacy levels, whether it’s translated or not.
- Offer personalized, step-by-step help for critical tasks like applying for benefits, filling out forms, or understanding legal obligations. Financial and legal processes can be especially overwhelming for individuals unfamiliar with how things work in a new country.
- Consider assigning dedicated staff or volunteers trained to guide clients through each step.
- Make sure clients know who to contact when they have questions and how to reach out in their preferred language—whether through a phone hotline, email, or in-person service.
7. Engage a Language Services Partner (LSP)
Sometimes, relying on a bilingual staff member or a well-meaning volunteer just isn’t enough, especially when conversations become tricky or sensitive. That’s where professional interpreters and translators can make a world of difference. Professionals know how to handle delicate topics, keep information confidential, and navigate emotionally charged situations with empathy and precision. Also, without someone in-house dedicated to your language access program, you will need help developing and executing a plan.
At MindLink, we specialize in supporting schools, governments, medical clinics, and non-profits with language access programs that include translation and interpretation services.
Our teams of experts can help you develop comprehensive language access strategies, including conducting needs assessments, performing quality audits, and preparing language access plans tailored to your community.
Additionally, our job portal, LinguistLink, simplifies managing assignments and logistics, giving you better visibility, control, and insight into how well your language services work.
Lastly, we understand how challenging it can be to manage and track data for language access programs, in any sector. That’s why we created FamiliesLink—a user-friendly dashboard designed to simplify the process.
Making a Difference with Empathetic Language Services
Providing meaningful language access doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right tools and support, your organization can meet the needs of non-native English speakers. Over time, this empathetic approach will help your organization build trust, create lasting community connections, and improve the outcomes of your LEP community members.
Contact us today to learn more and take the first step toward creating an inclusive, community-first environment where everyone can thrive.