From humble beginnings as Radio Ethnic Australia in 1975, to a multiplatform, internationally-renowned broadcaster and the world's most linguistically diverse radio network.

Elise Hearst
Elise Hearst | 11 Mar 2019

SBS reflects the cultural expansion and continuing success of the “melting pot” that is Australia – a linguistically diverse, vibrant, multicultural society. Its popularity is driven by a mission to provide access to high quality media content to all “regardless of geography, age, cultural background or language skills”. SBS have firmly planted themselves on the world stage as ethnically diverse, inclusive, multilingual media pioneers. This in turn highlights our society’s need for non-English, multi-platform communications.

Between the years 1945 to 1975, Australia’s population doubled to almost 14 million.

 

After the Second World War, Australia’s population boomed due to changes in immigration policy, with the government (at last) accepting new migrants from non-Anglo backgrounds. Radio and television, however, were slow to reflect the fast-changing identity of Australian society.

In 1973, the Immigration Minister Al Grassby, who would later play a fundamental role in the formation of SBS, remarked:

 

 

“How often do our television screens reflect anything like the variety of migrant groups encountered in a real-life stroll through our city streets?”

 

Throughout the 1960s ethnically diverse Australians were asking for greater access to broadcasting. This request was largely ignored by the powers-that-be in Canberra. It wasn’t until 1975, when the newly-elected Whitlam Labour government brought in new social policy changes, including the new Medibank universal health care system, that the need for foreign language broadcasting became crucial. SBS emerged not out of a demand for entertainment, but out of necessity to communicate key social policy changes to migrants and refugees.

“Communication and the ability to access information are key components of any democracy – key factors in the process of allowing all citizens and residents to understand their rights and fulfil their responsibilities.”

(Migliorino, 2016)

 

On 9 June, 1975, with the help of Immigration minister Al Grassby, the government commissioned Radio Ethnic Australia. The new radio stations would broadcast 7 languages in Sydney on 2EA and 8 languages in Melbourne on 3EA, explaining the new Medibank scheme. Whilst only intended to be a vehicle for disseminating important messages about federal healthcare, the stations proved to be hugely popular. Australia’s new migrants were longing to hear familiar stories and news from their homelands, and to be communicated with in the languages they best understood.

What began as a 3-month trial would lead to the government’s establishment of the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) for radio in 1978. In 1980, SBS television first aired in Sydney and Melbourne. The audience had spoken. Their enthusiasm for the station was undeniable.

 

 

For the first time in the Australian media landscape, people from non-English speaking backgrounds were not only being heard, they were the recipients of content that was created specifically for them.

 

By 1985 SBS was available in every Australian Capital City, cementing it as one of the five channels available on free-to-air television and radio. In the years following, the network established its reputation for outstanding international journalism, current affairs, as well as Indigenous content and international cinema. It would go on to acquire the rights to cover key international sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, cementing its position as the go-to place for global sport including soccer, cycling and the Olympics.

World News presenters such as Mary Kostakidis, Helen Kapalos, Lee Lin Chin and Anton Enus would become household names, whilst reflecting the diversity of an ever-changing nation. Finally, the faces on our screens were beginning to mirror the “real-life” that Immigration minister Al Grassby had poignantly observed as missing from our televised media.

Since the 80s, SBS has flourished, and has become a master of multilingual communications. It currently broadcasts programs in 70 languages on radio and screens over in over 60 languages across television and online. In doing so, SBS has garnered a reputation for being the world’s most diverse broadcaster. Per month, SBS reaches a television audience average of 13.1 million people, and delivers online content to up to 7 million unique browsers.

Part of SBS’s ongoing success is due to its embracing of digital technologies, enabling them to communicate with a far-reaching audience. In addition to its six free-to-air channels and eight radio stations, SBS provides online audio streaming of all its language programs, as well as many of its television programs. SBS also has a large interactive social media presence, inviting its audience to participate in multilingual conversations.

For CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) people and communities, access to digital content is really important. It allows them to resource content for themselves, represent themselves to voice their concerns, and to share their experiences with each other by communicating amongst themselves

(Migliorino, 2016).

 

Not all migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds are as technologically proficient as one another. In a paper delivered by Pino Migliorino, a leading commentator and expert around cultural diversity, he found that there may be a high discrepancy between the digital capabilities of people from non-English speaking backgrounds, depending on their life experience.

For example refugees older migrants (23% of the Australian population aged over 65 years come from a migrant background) are typically not as digitally literate as a skilled migrant. A study conducted by Migliorino of skilled migrants of Indian descent revealed that an astonishing 94% of those interviewed use social media, whereas older CALD migrants are “generally unlikely to have received training in the use of many new technologies”  (Migliorino, 2016).

 

Audio – simple, but effective.

 

In radio alone, SBS has 1.3 million users streaming each month. Despite the multitude of digital advancements, the continued popularity of SBS’s radio service reveals a lot about how many of us – particularly those of non-English speaking background – like to be communicated with audibly. SBS is able to connect with such a vast audience by embracing both traditional and digital communication platforms.

What began as a tale of two little radio stations has evolved into a media empire. SBS’s journey from what it was to where it is today tells us a lot about the cultural and linguistic eclecticism of modern Australian society. It also reveals our yearning to be well-informed, stimulated, or just to hear a good yarn, regardless of how we came to be here.

SBS has been at the forefront of creating innovative solutions for multilingual media, in response to and in anticipation of the needs and demands of its viewership and listeners. In doing so, they have shown how fruitful the relationship can be between a service-provider and its non-English speaking clients and customers.

Their past slogan “six billion stories and counting” is no accident. It is an important reminder that no matter who we are, or where we come from, we all have a story to tell, and we also love to hear about other people’s experiences from our own communities and from the world at-large. The challenge, of course, is discovering how to tell our stories in a meaningful and accessible way.

What stories or messages do you have to deliver? Who is your audience? Can your audience listen to your messages in a language they can understand?

 
Find out how you can use multiple digital platforms and audio to connect with your customers and clients.

 

References

 

And some easy DIY fixes! (because who doesn’t like a little DIY?)

Ellias Appel
Ellias Appel | 4 Mar 2019

For effective communication it’s best to leave judgements, presumptions and assumptions at the door. For organisations and businesses this is exceedingly important when speaking with our culturally diverse, non-English speaking customers. Most of us are time poor, and our learned and habitual professional behaviours and social instincts may be hard to shake, but they generally serve us well. But just as our society has woken up over recent years to how these habits and behaviours may affect others who we interact with, it is equally important to include a consideration for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse customers in this re-examination.

Research suggests that non-English speakers are often left stranded, finding it difficult to access services like health and welfare, struggling to comprehend the jargon and terminology used by professionals. They are at a distinct disadvantage in the areas of health literacy and social cohesion as a consequence of their language disparities. There can also be cultural misfires (no, not everyone celebrates Christmas, and who’s New Year are we celebrating this month?), unwanted handshakes, misunderstood social conventions (unexpected double cheek kisses) and unintended confusion.

There is no doubt that taking some time to build awareness around the issues culturally diverse non-English speakers face will be invaluable to for you, and your organisation.

 

1 – Be Aware of Your Own Communication Style

 

Most service providers operate within the framework of their cultural ideology – which for most of us is primarily Anglo Australian. Within that framework, staff members bring individual value systems, beliefs and cultural habits. We are psychologically predisposed to consider those outside our “tribe” as the other, and according to Gestalt theory we tend towards the formation of stereotypes or archetypes.

In Gestalt Theory our brains group things together to make them easier to understand. This applies to people as well as shapes.

It is human nature for us to make assumptions about others based on the dominant cultural, social and behavioural traits that we and those around us exhibit. And this lends itself to a kind of shorthand communication style, in which waving someone away while you’re on a phone call is not taken personally. It is important to recognise that these communication habits may not be appropriate when interacting with those from diverse cultural backgrounds, or non-English speakers.

“It is important to be aware of your own values, beliefs, expectations and cultural practices, and consider how these impact on your responses, interactions and service provision to people from cultures different from your own.”

Queensland Department of Health.

 

More than how we speak, our communication style is a big contributing factor to how effectively we are engaging our clients. This includes more than just our speech (speed and tempo of delivery) and use of language (terminology, abbreviations and slang). It also extends to the handling of certain topics; for example illness, domestic violence or death may be discussed or thought of differently depending on your culture.

Be sure to take into consideration your client’s cultural sensitivities, and be particularly attuned to non-verbal communications such as body language. If they struggle to make eye contact, for example, this might be a mark of respect within their culture, as opposed to what one might assume is shyness or inhibition. You may need to vary your communication style depending on your client’s cultural background and / or English language proficiency. By taking a few extra moments with your non-English speaking client, you can ascertain whether it may be more useful to relay information via an audio messaging service like LiME, or use an interpreter.

 

2 –  Do Not Assume English Proficiency

 

There is evidence to suggest non-English speakers experience anxiety when attempting to communicate in English. This may manifest in a number of ways – from antisocial behaviour, to avoiding group activities, ultimately contributing to an overall sense of isolation. Imagine a non-native speaker surrounded by a group of doctors (already an intimidating situation) who are discussing a diagnosis and using complex terminology. The doctors may have assumed a high level of English proficiency based on prior interactions with the patient, but evidence indicates that the patient would be experiencing anxiety simply as a consequence of the complicated interaction, and this may obfuscate their ability to communicate effectively.

Conversely just because your client is smiling and nodding at what you’re saying doesn’t necessarily indicate full understanding, it may be a nervous act to imply competency rather than apprehension. A useful technique for ascertaining the need for an interpreter is to avoid asking questions that require a yes/no answer. Instead, pose questions that require sentence-based responses, or have them repeat information you have presented to them in their own words. This isn’t intended to embarrass them, but rather to illuminate if there is a crisis of comprehension.

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3 – Don’t Equate English Skill with Intelligence

 

Poor language skills are not synonymous with a lack of intelligence. Your client may well have been a professional in their native country, or display a good degree of understanding of your services. Through engaging language services the potential for fruitful and useful conversation and problem-solving becomes possible.

Conversely common English phraseology might make little sense when translated, despite your client possessing a reasonable grasp of the English language. Different cultures have different norms or rituals in regard to things such as diet, hygiene and gender roles. Concepts such as ‘low fat diet’ and ‘high blood pressure’ might be completely perplexing, and direct translations might not display parity with your intended meaning. As an example, ‘hook-turns’ (a peculiar, tram friendly Melbourne invention) when put into Google Translate becomes ‘link turn’ in Arabic. This is just one situation where not utilising appropriate language services might cause an escalation of issues.

Sandals, pluggers, flip flops, thongs?

Ensure that your communications and messaging are engaging for your clients by seeking to enter into meaningful conversations.

 

4 – Expecting Competent Literacy in their Native Language is a Mistake

 

Poor literacy impacts more people than you might expect (14%-46% of Australians). Don’t presume that non-English speaking clients will be literate in their own language (if they even have a written language). It’s important to consider multiple channels when delivering information to your clients. Commonly used documents like info-brochures, FAQs, privacy statements and onboarding documents might be more effective when converted into audio.

 

“Multilingual messaging services such as LiME give you the flexibility to deliver pre-recorded audio to low literacy and non-English speaking clients across multiple communication channels”

 

Repurpose your communications to meet the needs of your clients, whether that means transforming your brochure into a telephone message line, or embedding your organisation’s contact details in a neat little audiogram that can be shared across social channels. Audio is an effective equaliser when it comes to catering for those with complex communication barriers.

 

5 – Failing to Involve an Interpreter

 

A number of Australian studies indicate that many service providers consider interpreting needs can be adequately met by bilingual family members or staff. Some estimates suggest that 20% of GPs do not consider a qualified interpreter is necessary to gain informed consent.

Some organisations may be concerned about privacy, and some clients may be concerned about interpreters having social connections within their community groups. It is for this reason that it is of particular importance to engage with interpreters and language service providers who adhere to strict industry ethical guidelines.

 

“We can help you best serve your non-English speaking and low literacy clients.”

 

References

  • Australia. Queensland Health. Queensland Health Language Services Policy [online] 2000 [cited July 2007]
  • Blennerhassett, J. & Hilbers, J. (2011). Medicine management in older people from non-English speaking backgrounds. Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, 41(1), p. 35.
  • Friedman-Rhodes, E. & Hale, S. (2010). Teaching Medical Students to work with interpreters. The Journal of Specialised Translation, 14, p. 125.
  • Department of Health. (2010). Language services in health care policy consultations: discussion paper. Government of Western Australia: p. 10.

 

NON J QUERY