HiLingual – Communication for the real world

YOUR ON-DEMAND LINGUISTICS NERD TO HELP YOUR TRAINING ORGANISATION NAVIGATE LANGUAGE BARRIERS WITH EASE.

I help Australian adult education providers such as TAFEs, RTOs, and Learn Locals make their learning, enrolment, and marketing content more accessible to their students. I do this through a combination of plain English translation and training.

I can audit your current content for free to recommend some actions you can take. These recommendations are a combination of free and paid services, but there is absolutely no obligation to work with me afterwards.

GET YOUR FREE LANGUAGE AUDIT

For education providers who teach

Non-Native English Speaking Students

Suitable for providers who offer:

• Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP)
• Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program
• Certificate in English as an Additional Language (EAL)
• Certificate in Written and Spoken English (CSWE)
• Accredited training in any industry up to Cert IV
• Non-accredited training in any industry

Get Your Free Language Audit

For education providers who teach

Native English Speaking Students

Suitable for providers who offer:

• Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program
• Certificate in General Education for Adults (CGEA)
• Accredited training in any industry up to Cert IV
• Non-accredited training in any industry

Get Your Free Language Audit

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT WHEN YOU NAVIGATE LANGUAGE BARRIERS THE RIGHT WAY

1 Day From Now

You submit your first text to be translated into plain English.

You may not realise it yet, but you’ve just taken the first step in positively changing the lives of your organisation, staff, students, and local community for good.

1 Week From Now

You receive your first plain English text back and start using it in your organisation.

Your staff start having more time on their hands so they can provide more in-depth support to your students.

1 Month From Now

You continue getting more texts translated into plain English.

Your students start to notice the difference in your communication, which makes them feel safer and more supported by your staff and organisation.

3 Months From Now

You start translating more and more content into plain English.

Your organisation has higher participation rates and lower drop-off-the-face-of-the-earth rates because your students can actually understand the content and are engaged by it.

Your students start accessing your whole range of services because they understand what you offer. They get the support they need, and you get higher participation rates. It’s a win-win, really.

6 Months From Now

Translating texts into plain English is becoming second nature – it happens all the time without even batting an eyelid.

Your staff have better rapport and trust with your students because your students know that your staff and organisation have their best interests at heart.

Your students can clearly understand the information and services you provide now, so they’re moving through your program faster and more easily than before, which helps them achieve their goals quicker.

As a result, your organisation is helping more students and beginning to make a bigger impact on the local community too.

1 Year From Now

You continue translating content into plain English and start implementing plain language training for your staff too.

Your organisation retains existing students for longer because they feel engaged and understood. You also start having an influx of new client referrals because your existing students are telling their friends and family how supportive and caring your organisation and staff are.

Even with all these new and existing students, your staff have a more manageable workload because now they’re navigating language barriers the right way through plain English translation and training rather than spending countless hours trying to navigate them but not having the skills or tools available to do so.

3 Years From Now

Plain English training is part of your onboarding process and ongoing professional development strategy.

Your organisation is easily renewing existing government contracts and securing new ones because you have the outcomes to prove you’re the best service provider around and have your students’ and local community’s best interests at heart.

Your students are achieving their goals, whether that’s stable employment, studying a TAFE course, or getting their driver’s license. They are also finally feeling included in the community and like they belong there.

Your local community starts filling job vacancies with your students rather than relying on non-locals to come in and do the job and then leave after they’ve made a quick buck.

5 Years From Now

Your organisation and staff are masters at communicating in plain English. You can easily communicate with all your students regardless of their language background and low English literacy.

Your organisation is a leader in plain English and accessible communication. You are the role model that similar organisations mould their communication strategies on.

Your students have freedom of choice as they finally feel settled in Australia. They understand and feel empowered about all the employment, education, and settlement options they have in Australia.

Your local community are fostering a community of belonging and contribution. No one feels isolated or left out.

10 Years From Now

You look back on your decision to get that first document translated into plain English and think to yourself “Wow! Who knew one simple decision would positively impact the lives of so many”.

Your local community has attracted more migrants and refugees to visit and move to the area because they know that your local community is a place where they are welcomed. This has boosted the local economy and created more jobs and opportunities for the community.

AND ALL OF THIS CAME FROM A CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO COMMUNICATING IN A WAY THAT MEETS YOUR STUDENTS’ NEEDS AND ENGLISH LITERACY LEVELS.

PRETTY COOL, HUH?

SO . . . WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

BOOK YOUR FREE LANGUAGE AUDIT TODAY

GET STARTED

QUESTIONS? QUERIES? QUALMS?

Is this real?

You betcha! I was sick of the lack of accessible information for migrants, refugees, and native English speakers with low English literacy, so I created HiLingual Language Solutions.

What’s a free language audit?

A free language audit is a way for me to analyse your current written content to work out if you actually need my services or not. I don’t want to waste your time or money on something you don’t need, so I complete a language audit to check that you actually need my services. After I analyse your content, I’ll recommend some actions you can take to make your content more accessible. There is absolutely no obligation to work together, and I’ll actually recommend some things you can do yourself that won’t cost you a thing.

What types of organisations do your services work best for?

They work best for training organisations such as TAFEs, RTOs, and Learn Locals whose main students are migrants and refugees with low English literacy levels. They also works best for training organisations whose main students are native English speakers who have low English literacy levels.

What texts can you help us with?

All sorts of texts such as learning material, assessment material, enrolment forms, information booklets, letters, emails, SMS messages, privacy notices, consent forms, and website copy. Basically, if it’s something your students will read, I can help you out.

Can you really make anyone understand anything?

Pretty much. I make sure that I write at a level that a 9 year old can understand for all general texts. When I write technical texts with specific vocabulary, I make sure that I write at a level that a 12 year old can understand. These are the industry standards for a text to be considered “plain English”.

Now, of course some people’s English literacy levels may be super low or completely non-existent, so of course they won’t be able to read and understand a text no matter how much I try. But I aim to make all of my texts as easy to understand as possible so that an interpreter or a support person can easily read it out loud and explain it to those with extremely low English literacy levels.

Why not use a “normal” translator?

Translators only serve one language group at a time, so if you need to serve people who have multiple language backgrounds at the same time, it’s costly and complicated to do so. Translators are also only concerned with the actual words in the text rather than considering the text’s format too. So if your clients are all from one language background, they have similar English literacy levels, and you don’t care about or need graphics included in your texts, then hire a translator.

But if your clients all have different language backgrounds and English literacy levels (or are native English speakers with low English literacy), you want a simple and cost-effective way to communicate with all of them, and you think they would benefit from including graphics in your texts if necessary, then hire me.

How do text requests work?

When you want me to translate a text for you, you will need to submit a text request. The text request has questions relating to your text that you’ll need to answer before I can get started on it. Don’t worry – I’ll send you instructions on how to do this once you’re on board. It’s a super easy process that makes sure we eliminate a lot of back and forth. If I have all the information I need upfront, it makes both our lives waaaaaay easier.

Once you’ve submitted the request, you’ll need to wait for me to accept it. The only time I’ll reject a request is if I’m missing some key information or require any clarifications before I start, but I’ll accept it once you address the discrepancies. I’ll also give you a more accurate turnaround time once I accept it so you have a better idea of when you can expect your text back.

What if I don’t like what you’ve created?

If you’re unhappy with what I create, I’ll make unlimited revisions for you to make sure it’s exactly what you want. Don’t worry – you won’t hurt my feelings 🙂

Who owns the copyright?

You do.

Who’s the brains behind this operation?

My name is Lauren and I’m a total language and linguistics nerd. I also genuinely believe that everyone should have equal access to information, especially if they have low English literacy. I’ve combined these two passions to create HiLingual Language Solutions.

I’ve worked in the education and settlement sectors with migrants and refugees with low English literacy skills. I also learn and speak Mandarin, so I have first-hand experience of what it’s like for both sides. I know how frustrating it can be when you can’t get your message across to someone else because their English literacy is low. But I also know how frustrating, isolating, and stressful it can be when you can’t understand what you’re reading or listening to despite your best efforts.

So, with a pinch of Linguistic Nerdery* and a dash of creativity, I worked out the perfect solution: plain English translation.

*Linguistic Nerdery is definitely a real thing . . . 😉

I have one more question. How can I contact you?

Cool, no stress. Just email me at and I’ll help you out.