How WRC’s website became readable in 100 languages

The Welsh Refugee Council (WRC) provides vital frontline support to asylum seekers and refugees across Wales. Whether it is helping with housing, jobs or legal advice, their mission is to help people build new lives.

In this video, Athina Summerbell, Head of Communications, Engagement and Policy, explains how they made their website as accessible and helpful as their in-person team.

The problem: Barriers to in-person support

The WRC knows that most of the people they support want to access information in-person or quickly.  As with any front-line service, they have limited capacity to deliver in-person. So they knew digital was an area where they really wanted to grow. 

Discover and Define: Learning from users

They began by talking to the people who normally use the website. The WRC ran focus groups with lived experience experts, staff and volunteers. They also used an online survey to gather feedback from their partners and funders.

The team discovered two major barriers:

• Language was the main hurdle: People struggled to engage with the site if the information wasn’t in their first language.
• Signposting was key: Frontline staff and volunteers needed a digital tool they could confidently point people toward to save them a trip to the office.

The prototype: A website in 100+ languages

The WRC added a software to their website called Recite Me. 

This allows users to:

• Translate the entire site into over 100 languages
• Listen to the text being read out loud
• Change the way the site looks to make it easier to read

The impact: more information accessed

The team saw a increase in people using their website, spending longer and exploring different pages. They’ve seen a huge difference in how people can access information, where they're at and what's right for them.

Advice for other charities

Start with small incremental changes. It's about each one of those little steps getting you closer to where you want to be, and you're also making a difference along the way.

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