OSHA says that you have to provide safety training in a way that employees understand. This means you have to accommodate the needs of employees whose primary language isn’t English and who may have difficulty following trainers or reading training materials.
You don’t have to speak learners’ primary language to effectively train them, says Ann Megalizzi of Trainlnk, Inc., a Michigan company that delivers communications skills training. However, there are several tips you should keep in mind.
"You have to be much more conscious of how you say everything," she says. For example:
- Choosing simpler words over multisyllabic words to ensure clarity
- Avoiding the use of certain words and idiomatic expressions, such as "an accident waiting to happen," "aboveboard," and "miss the boat," that can cause confusion
In addition, Megalizzi says it’s important to pay closer attention to trainees’ body language and facial expressions when training ESL employees. You need to constantly look for signs that a learner doesn’t understand—for example, raised eyebrows or a "you’ve just lost me" facial expression.
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Ensure Comprehension
Megalizzi recommends asking questions more frequently than usual to make sure you’re message is clear. This is especially important with safety training where even a slight misunderstanding could lead to an accident.
However, she advises phrasing questions carefully so that learners aren’t offended. For example, instead of saying, "Do you understand?" you might say, "Did I say that clearly?"
Also encourage ESL learners to ask questions and consult with co-workers who speak the same language, may have better English skills, and might be able to provide clarification in their primary language.
Using words from learners’ native language whenever possible is also a good idea. Megalizzi says that it’s "a sign of respect for them and their language," in addition to aiding comprehension.
If you decide to provide handouts in ESL employees’ language, however, make sure the translation is complete and accurate. "You want to make sure the person doing the job is able to translate concepts—not just words. Just because he or she understands both languages doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she communicates well."
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Train for Understanding
Whether you’re training ESL employees or native English speakers, we have the training materials for you.
Our Safety Meeting Repros provides you with 50 completely turnkey safety meeting modules, each responsive to a key OSHA regulation, with trainee materials in reproducible form. Just check off the outline items as you proceed through the meeting and you won’t miss a single point of importance. Then follow up with the fully prepared quiz (with instantly available answers) and illustrated handouts that also come with each lesson. You’ve completed a full training cycle, with little more work than running a copier, at a cost equivalent of under $6 a session.
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We don’t think you can appreciate how much this program can ease your training task without looking it over. We invite you to do so at no cost (we’ll even pay any return shipping) and no risk. Here’s how you can arrange a trial run, at our expense.