Trust Housing Association has launched a new toolkit and website for its innovative app which assists organisations when communicating with those whose first language isn’t English.

Happy to Translate (HTT) held a very successful event at the Scottish Parliament last month sponsored by Christina McKelvie MSP well attended by MSPs, HTT member organisations and members of local ethnic minority communities.

The toolkit is used by members of Happy to Translate to communicate with customers who speak little or no English and has been redesigned to accommodate the multilingual tools available to download from the members’ website, a training DVD and promotional tools that help organisations advertise its membership to the public.

The website has been revamped with a fresh look and restructured to make sure new and current members get the best assistance possible. The public side of the website has the added benefit of a ‘quick quiz’, offering prospective members the chance to perform an equality health check on the accessibility of the information and services they provide.

Christina McKelvie MSP said: “I was delighted to be invited to sponsor the event to introduce the redesigned HTT Toolkit and website. Scotland is proud to be known as a country that welcomes individuals from across the globe. The Scottish Parliament is a member of HTT and recognises the importance of taking the lead in providing equal access to information and services.”

Rhona McLeod, chief executive of Trust Housing Association, which manages Happy to Translate, added: “The team worked hard this year to produce the redesigned toolkit and website in response to members’ changing needs in the way they engage with their customers. It’s this dynamic and proactive thinking that earned HTT the title of UK’s Most Innovative EDI Initiative of the Year 2017, from the National Centre for Diversity.”