An Increase in Refugees, Demand an Increase in the Need for Language Services:
A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. Being forced to uproot your life and relocate to another country to live amongst new people, a different language as well as culture can be an abundant amount of stress for a person to deal with. Leaving everything you’ve known throughout your entire life in your native land in search of safely is not a position anyone wants to find themselves in. Since 1980, 3 million refugees have resettled within the United States. In 2016, there were 16,370 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 12,587 Syrian refugees, 12,347 Burmese, 9,880 Iraqi and 9,020 Somalian refugees who all resettled in the United States.
Top 9 Languages Spoken by Refugees (2008 – 2017):
- Arabic – 138,174
- Napali – 94,072
- Somali – 56,607
- Sgaw Karen – 44,379
- Spanish – 32,875
- Kiswahili – 20,235
- Chaldean – 16,922
- Burmese – 16,082
- Armenian – 15,727
- Other Minor Languages – 12,768
Top 10 Refugee Placement States (October 1, 2017 – Jan 31, 2018):
- Ohio – 10.08%
- Texas – 7.48%
- Washington – 6.56%
- New York – 5.98%
- California – 5.71%
- Pennsylvania – 5.68%
- North Carolina – 3.53%
- Illinois – 3.46%
- Georgia – 3.4%
- Michigan – 3.32%
Refugees in the United States, Arrivals By Region (Oct 1 2017 – Jan 31st 2018):
1. Africa – 34.88%
2. East/South Asia – 31.84%
3. Europe – 17.83%
4. East Asia – 12.36%
5. Latin America/Caribbean – 3.09%
Aside from the obvious hardships that accompany refugees, adapting and communicating in a new country can be extremely difficult. With such an increase in diversity, language barriers oftentimes prevent non-English speaking individuals from effectively communicating and understanding important information. It takes a while to adjust and develop the language skills needed in order to fully function in a new country, however when refugees arrive, there are situations in which it’s mandatory for effective communication to be facilitated. Refugees, like all other individuals living in this country need healthcare, emergency services, legal services, counselors, social workers or government assistance in order to survive. Providing access to professional interpreters is not only the law for certain healthcare providers but it ensures everyone involved understands the informational exchange.
Miscommunications regarding medical or legal information can have detrimental effects on people who are displaced. Language services such as translation, telephone interpretation, on-site interpretation or video remote interpreting (VRI) can all aid in the adjustment refugees make when resettling in a foreign land. It’s essential to hire a language service company (LSC) in order to gain access to experienced translators and interpreters who will have the knowledge and skills needed to accommodate non-English speaking individuals. Working with professionals is the only way to ensure the optimal opportunity is provided for effective communication to be facilitated. Niki’s Int’l Ltd. is a LSC with over 20 years experience providing translation and interpretation services to non-English speaking individuals and the businesses and organizations who service them. Partnering with Niki’s Int’l Ltd. allows you to gain access to translators and interpreters in over 350 languages and dialects. Providing language services in no longer an option as the population continues to diversify in communities across America. Being prepared and making the adjustments needed in order to provide language services to the many refugees weaving their lives into American culture, benefits all parties involved, contact Niki’s Int’l Ltd. and explore your language service options today.
Niki’s Int’l Ltd. is a WBENC-Certified Women Business Enterprise with 20 years of language service experience. A global network of highly skilled interpreters and translators are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for on-site, telephonic and video remote interpretation services. Our linguists are available in over 350 languages and dialects, and our network includes certified interpreters and translators. Our work is guaranteed with a $1 Million Errors & Omissions policy, so that you can be confident that your project will be completed with the highest level of quality and professionalism within the field. For more information contact us at 1-877-567-8449 or visit our website at www.nilservices.com.