Listen to Australian and world news and follow current affairs with
It is expected that access to information and support for small businesses will be made easier for people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
The Australian Small and Family Business Ombudsman’s website now supports over 100 languages for those whose first language is not English.
Public Advocate Bruce Billson says the goal of the initiative is to overcome language barriers and provide targeted help to small businesses run by immigrants.
“It’s a really exciting day and an occasion to celebrate the diversity of small business owners and family businesses in Australia. So we’re launching a website with over 100 languages to respect and acknowledge that one in three human-run small businesses in Australia are run by people born overseas, and that our culture and local business community are greatly enhanced by that diversity. But sometimes, if a business challenge arises or a dispute occurs, people would like help available in a language they’re more comfortable with, and we’re trying to recognise that and respond to that with this translation service on my website.”
Mr Billson says that about 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 with a simple click, will make it easier for immigrant-run business owners to use the many resources available to them.
“We looked at a number of tools that had previously focused on a dozen community languages, but realized they were not addressing the rich diversity of foreign-born entrepreneurs who may speak a language other than English in their day-to-day dealings. So we turned to Google Translate as a tool that gives us a broader range of languages, and we recognize that an entrepreneur who may speak a language other than English may like the convenience and confidence of interacting with our website, in the language they are most familiar with, to address the business challenges and opportunities they are considering.”
According to the Migration Council of Australia, Australia’s population is projected to reach 38 million by 2050, with migration contributing $1.6 trillion to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Although 83 percent of migrant business owners had never owned a business before coming to Australia, migrants own 33 percent of all small businesses in the country.
Researcher and restaurant owner Dr Josephine Okurame is one of 620,000 migrants in Australia who run a small business.
Dr. Okurame says she is pleased that the website has been transformed.
“The first thing I thought when I saw the website was that I was really impressed, because it had really included my language. And I thought it was very inclusive. There’s a sense of commitment that shows that Australia has a commitment to inclusion and diversity, which makes us as migrant entrepreneurs feel welcomed, valued and supported, which makes you feel like you belong.”
And Luke Achterstraat, chief executive of the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia, says that following the Fair Work Commission’s announcement of a 3.75 per cent rise in the minimum wage from this month, combined with inflation, small businesses are facing a tough time.
Mr Achterstraat says the website update is a step in the right direction.
“We know that we are living in a really challenging time for small businesses and running a small business can be complicated, complex and expensive at the best of times, so particularly when the government is introducing more and more regulations, more and more compliance, obligations and bureaucracy, 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. That means we need to make sure that the information that we provide is digestible. A lot of this material is very complicated and complex, even if English is your first language. So I think this is a very welcome move to support small businesses, not just in our metropolitan areas, but in our regional areas as well.”
Dr. Okurame also believes that inclusive access will encourage and give confidence to more people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities to start their own businesses without the worry of a language barrier.
“As a migrant entrepreneur, I’ve had people come to me asking how to start a business, what kind of legal documents are required, what kind of insurance is required, but they don’t know if there is support available. So speaking multiple languages increases migrants’ accessibility to the resources and support available to them.”
Small Business Association of Australia chief executive Anne Nalder says the new feature will break down barriers and allow more immigrant-owned small businesses to thrive.
“In Australia we are a very multicultural 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 companies, but they don’t necessarily understand everything that is provided in English when it comes to compliance and regulations, which is what it is like to be a small business. So by speaking different languages, it will be much easier for them to understand and also comply with any compliance requirements that they may have to meet.”
Some users have reported poor language choices in the original language versions, and SBS’s Gujarati programme claims that the translations may be misleading to some readers.
However, a statement from Ombudsman Billson notes that while efforts have been made to ensure the tool is as accurate as possible to help immigrant-owned small businesses, it still relies heavily on Google Translate.
“Efforts have been made to provide accurate translations, but no machine translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace human translators. When we assist with individual cases, our case managers use human translators to ensure translations are accurate and the meaning is well understood.”