What if a CALD client should walk in my door

A Step-by-Step Guide for HACC Workers

HACC recognises that people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds are a special needs group and must overcome barriers to accessing services. One of these barriers is communication.
 
This step by step guide has been developed to assist workers achieve positive outcomes for CALD clients from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) by providing strategies to enhance/improve communication. 

Strategies to Overcome the Language Barrier

 There are some universal skills that we use every day with clients that we can apply to overcoming the language barrier, good communication skills and effective body language, and appropriate use of interpreters are good starting points.
 

DO

•    Be welcoming.
•    Use plain English. Think about what you intend to say. Link your ideas in a logical order.
•    Speak clearly and relatively slowly. Break the content into manageable segments.
•    Pause between segments or sentences to allow time for understanding.
•    Obtain feedback. Wait for, and expect a response to make sure you are being understood.
•    Check back, preferably using a  question, such as What is your understanding of the discussion so far?
•    Keep in mind the answer can mean many things.

Yes, I hear you.
Yes, I understand.
Yes, I will do it.
Yes (because the last time I said No I got in trouble.)

•    Repeat key statements. Emphasise the content words (usually nouns and verbs).
•    Remember sometimes ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.  Explain meanings by gesture/example.
•    Be aware that cultural differences exist DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK.
•    Remain calm. If someone offends you, point out the reason calmly and clearly.
•    Use accredited interpreters.
•    Develop your own network of resources.
•    Take your time.
 
 

DO NOT

•    Use broken English e.g. You finished? for Have you finished?
•    Raise your voice. The problem is not lack of hearing but lack of understanding.
•    Rush the person.
•    Rely too much on bilingual friends, B.Y.O. interpreter or bilingual workers.  They don't always get the message right.
 
 
Please remember the client may have experienced interrogations/torture/trauma in their own country.  Even an informal interview can trigger unpleasant memories (bad feelings) which can result in what would appear to be irrational behaviour.
 
The following steps are provided to assist you if a person walks into your service and it becomes apparent that they understand very little English. 
 
When a CALD person drops in to your office

•    Focus all of your attention on the task at hand.
 

SMILE

•    A warm welcome can reduce the persons apprehension encouraging good communication.
 
How to establish preferred language spoken at home
•    This can be achieved through establishing names and writing them down then using language resources on hand to attempt to recognize the text.
•    Look for clues in the name like letter combinations eg. D & Z together could be Eastern European.
•    Use a map of the world (included in the Cultural Awareness Resource Kit) to establish the persons country of origin.
•    Central Coast community cultural groups would happily assist you to establish/confirm the language being spoken.  Phone CCDN on 43242355 for contact details.
•    It is important that you are accurate as possible in determining the language spoken by the person.  Interpreting services will charge the interpreters fee even if the language/dialect is not appropriate.
 
The following information provides you with some key points to assist you to consider cultural competence from the individual/service perspective.
 

Cultural Competence

On an individual level cultural competence means:
•    Understanding the concept of culture and how it influences behaviours, as well as interpretations and evaluations of behaviours.
•    Demonstrating an openness and willingness to identify and explore ones own cultural values, beliefs and attitudes.
•    Demonstrating an openness and willingness to explore the same things from the perspective of people from other cultural backgrounds than your own.
•    Demonstrating the ability to identify useful and culturally appropriate strategies for working with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
 
A culturally competent service/system means:
•    Valuing diversity by accepting that the people served are from different cultural backgrounds and will make different choices based on culture.
•    Assessing its sense of culture by recognising that the organisation itself is shaped by its own culture and by analyzing how it interacts with other cultures.
•    Accepting the dynamics of difference and recognises that culturally prescribed patterns of communications, etiquette and problem solving often result in misjudgments and misinterpretations.
•    Incorporating cultural knowledge into all levels of service planning, delivery and evaluation.
•    Adapting to diversity.
 
 
This resource is adapted from We don't have any CALD clients which has been developed by Migrant Resource Centre.