Welcome BG conducted a survey of community organizations and agencies in Northwest Ohio regarding their translation and multilingual services.
The survey was developed by the Welcome BG Living and Thriving Subcommittee which, in conversation with the Welcome BG Steering Committee, identified 84 agencies to invite to complete the survey. Survey responses were collected from May 28, 2020, to March 17, 2021.
Welcome BG received responses from 25 agencies.
The survey asked agencies and organizations what interpretation, translation, and multilingual services they provided and how they shared that information with their clients. An additional goal of the survey included learning more about how diverse constituents, especially those with limited English proficiency, could access resources in Northwest Ohio.
At least half of respondents indicated that they provided some form of interpretation/translation service and many stated that they relied on partnerships with other agencies and/or multilingual staff to provide these services.
Agencies identified a variety of ways they shared information about their services, from verbally informing their clients, displaying a poster at their location, providing an option on a phone line, to sharing information via email or brochures.
Agencies outlined some obstacles limiting their efforts to serve a diverse clientele which included difficulty in expanding their outreach efforts and not having full-time multilingual staff.
As a follow-up to this survey, Welcome BG has committed to having one-on-one follow up conversations with responding agencies; predominantly those currently not offering translation services or have little to no resources to do so. Additionally, Welcome BG will collect testimonials from clients who have had successful experiences with those agencies.
Welcome BG was launched in 2019 to develop and promote Bowling Green as a welcoming, safe and inclusive community for all residents, including immigrants, refugees, New Americans, and people from diverse races, ethnic backgrounds, cultures and religions. Welcome BG focuses on economic development, living and thriving, and sustainability.
