Last updated on July 3rd, 2023 at 10:52 am

What Is the Role of Translation and Interpretation in HR?

Go and Speak with HR

Human Resources.  Most companies have a human resources person or department, though very small companies can get by without.  Human resources is defined as the part of an organization dedicated to managing and optimizing manpower, and the people who work in that department.  HR protects the company from spurious claims and the employee from abuse while making sure that company policies are followed, and everyone’s interests are known and represented.  Many human resources departments are in-house, but some are outsourced.

Some of a Human Resources department’s tasks include recruiting, benefits administration, employee training and orientation, policy enforcement, and helping with injury claims.  Human Resources communicates with employees, executives, staffing agencies, and oversight agencies every day.  This critical function must have speedy access to translation services and interpretation services to do their job effectively when communicating with employees in their native language or reaching employees around the world.

Let’s look at a few of the ways in which translation and interpretation impacts Human Resources.

Why HR Translation?

None of the HR activities can be done properly without professional translation and interpretation services in multilingual settings.  From employee handbooks to sexual harassment training- clear, and accurate information, plus thorough understanding for the subjects are necessary for all the people involved

There’s not a part of Human Resources work that language services do not affect.  With language services, the companies and the talent find each other faster, people’s rights are respected, workflow is improved, and the government is satisfied.

Hiring the World

Globalization means that more and more languages are being used together in the workforce.  Companies are pursuing multilingual talent with enthusiasm as they interact with foreign buyers, investors, and governments online and over the phone.  The Internet enables communication in a millisecond, faster shipping services, and more diverse resources than ever, creating a need for translation and interpretation inside and outside the company.

Maybe a company is moving to an area where the local dialect of Spanish is different, opening a branch office in another Spanish speaking country, or doing business overseas in Spanish.  Multilingual employees add new ideas and perspectives to businesses, and the way to treat them with respect and stay in legal compliance is to provide language services proactively and then review the translated content to ensure that local vocabulary and culture are properly incorporated. Usage of vocabulary and spelling can change from one Spanish speaking country to the other, so you need a Translation Company with the resources and expertise to help address the details during the Spanish translation process.

The Right Resources for Human Resources

Human Resources translation is unique in that it combines its own terminology with that of every industry it serves.  The responsibility of translation should not be placed on multilingual employees or left to a machine translation program without analyzing the quality by expert linguists.  Only professional translators can ensure that the translated material is not only conceptually correct, but accurate down to industry-specific jargon.

A professional translator will be able to adapt the wording if there is not an exact translation for a word or phrase while keeping the meaning and ideas clear.

Human Resources Translation in Action

How is HR translation and interpretation used when it comes to the actual materials and practices?

Translation of Internal Documents: Internal documents constitute items like company policies, codes of conduct, mission statements, and onboarding checklists. People need to know what is expected of them, what to expect of the organization, and what will happen next.

Employees will be more confident, feel included and be more optimistic about their new position when given internal documents in their own language.

Translation of Legal Documents: Every business must inform its employees of their rights or risk lawsuits and severe penalties.  Every employee and contractor must be provided with the legal material they and the company must abide by in language they can clearly understand.  Legal document translation protects everyone involved.  Some of the legal documents involved in Human Resources management include contracts, non-disclosure agreements, and insurance documents.

Our Translation Company has translated numerous documents to support Legal disputes between companies and employees. Examples include translation of documents like performance reviews, letters and depositions.

Translation for Safety

A company must make sure its employees are able to do their jobs safely.  If someone gets hurt, the business loses that person’s productivity in the time they must take off of work.  The employee’s finances can be affected, or the injury could be so severe that it hampers their ability to work.  As with contracts, badly translated (or untranslated) safety information can land a company in trouble with organizations like OSHA.  Every employee must have professionally-translated safety instructions localized to their dialect and industry.

Human Resources Interpretation

Not all important Human Resources communication is written down.  Multilingual interviews, phone calls, and conversations need to happen through the services of a professional interpreter.  An employee might be working remotely, or a company might be interviewing someone who will need to move many miles to work for that business.  Sensitive, nuanced information is aired during these discussions, and a professional interpreter will be able to interpret the words being spoken into another language while missing none of the finer points of language.

Interpretation: A Resource for Humans

JR Language Translation gives you access to professional interpreters all over the world for interpretation services by phone or scheduled in-person interpretation services.

Our translation agency also provides interpretation equipment for consecutive conference or training programs, we will support you while defining and creating the best configuration for your HR meeting. We will help selecting the best Interpreters according to your needs and the content of the conference. If equipment is needed, the appropriate equipment and technicians will be in place for the successful completion of the bilingual or multilingual training.

HR is based on clear communication, be prepared if your company has a need for HR content translation.

Open your company up to multilingual talent by starting a relationship with our translation and interpretation agency.  By providing language services to your employees, you’ll be better equipped to communicate effectively with your multilingual clients and partners.  Call us today to start a conversation.