CALD Communities: Adjusting to life in Australia

First things first: CALD means “Culturally and Linguistically Diverse”. While this term refers to Australian communities that originally came from different countries, CALD is not necessarily a way to identify people. It’s simply a bureaucratic term used in the public and community sectors. As the name suggests, these communities are culturally and linguistically different from natural-born Australians.

CALD Communities: How Diverse is Australia?

More than you think! According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 3 out of 10 people living in Australia were born overseas. CALD Communities all over Australia identify with over 300 ancestries and speak 300 languages. This makes Australia one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world.

CALD Background

CALD background is a term commonly used in Australia to describe individuals and communities from non-English speaking backgrounds. In Australia, people from CALD backgrounds represent a significant portion of the population, with over a quarter of the population being born overseas and around 20% speaking a language other than English at home.

It is important to recognise and value cultural diversity and linguistic differences to promote social inclusion, respect for human rights, and better understanding among communities. Providing culturally sensitive and appropriate services to people from CALD backgrounds is essential to ensuring their full participation in society and promoting their health and well-being.

Among the most common languages spoken within Australian CALD communities are:

• Hindi
• Punjabi
• Mandarin
• Cantonese
• Filipino/Tagalog
• Vietnamese
• Malaysian
• Italian
• Sinhalese
• Tamil
• Nepalese
• German
• Korean
• Greek
• Arabic
• Urdu

Adjusting to Life in Australia

Migrating to a new country can be a big challenge, especially for children. Kids don’t embrace change that easily. Imagine the stress of packing and moving on top of adjusting to a new home and school. That’s a lot to process for a kid.

If you speak other languages, moving can even be more overwhelming if you’re moving to an English-speaking country like Australia. As parents, you can prepare as much as you can but there’s not much you can do except to support the children while they try to reinvent their life.

Here are some things you can do to help your children:

1. Be prepared to get a negative reaction

Don’t expect your children to be excited when you announce the move. Let them express their sadness or even anger towards the news. Give them time to process what this would mean for their life. If they have questions, answer them all patiently.

2. Research helps

Let’s put it this way: If you know more about the new place you’re moving into, you can help your child better. If your kids are used to playing in a playground or eating in their favorite restaurant, it would help if you already knew where the nearest playground is and where the restaurant is located.

3. Help as much as you can

Migration will require a lot of time, money, and effort. Don’t worry, preparation is key! Help your children with the process as much as you can. Prepare their requirements in advance and practice doing interview questions with them. If you’re applying for a visitor visa, student visa, partner visa, or any other type of visa, we got you covered. Sylaba offers NAATI certified visa translation services.

4. Give your children some control

Keep in mind that your children already feels that they lost control of their life. As much as you can, give them the chance to decide on small things like paint color for the room. For older children, you can include them in the discussions about their new school.

5. Keep the same routine

New country, same routine. Your children will adjust faster if their life has structure. If possible, have them go to school in the first few weeks. If your kids’ academic documents are not in English, let our team at Sylaba help you with the translations. We provide a certified academic transcript translation service that is fast and reliable.

6. Don’t forget to have fun

While all these can be stressful, don’t forget to plan fun activities for your family. Walk around the neighborhood or take your kids to the playground. You can even find the best pizza and bakery as a family!

7. Stay in touch with your roots

Most importantly, make sure that your kids stay in touch with your culture. Forgetting about their cultural heritage can lead them to question who they are and where they belong. Help them adjust by finding local CALD communities in Australia. As a family, you can join groups or activities within the community to help you adjust.

Communicating with CALD communities​

There is a need to communicate with underrepresented CALD communities in Australia. It’s important to make sure that these communities feel included and seen. Not only that, it’s also important they are always given the correct information.

However, it doesn’t stop there. Community translations should not be only about translating from one language to another. Cultural adaptation is a key component of community translations. As always, having an accurate translation is as important as having a respectful and culturally appropriate translation.

Keep in mind that every culture and language is different. When translating sensitive topics like health, gender, and religion, the target CALD communities should be consulted.

Sylaba Translations specializes in delivering high quality translations for CALD communities. We focus on delivering accurate, easy to understand, and culturally appropriate translations.

Our team will meet with you to discuss your requirements in-depth. Then, we’ll develop a strategy that fits your objectives and budget well. Over the years, we have developed a competent team of NAATI certified translators, community checkers/representatives, graphic designers, and project managers that will get you and your community the results you are looking for.

We offer Community translations of:

• Health promotion materials
• Fact sheets
• Flyers
• Brochures
• Posters
• Booklets
• Videos, infographics and presentations
• Websites and other multimedia platforms
• Media releases

Whatever it is, we can guarantee that our translations will be useful for your target CALD communities in Australia. After all, the translations are tailored for them.

Contact us today to schedule a strategy session.