Macomb County provides interpreters, multi-lingual signs for immigrants

Dozens of immigrants took the oath of U.S. citizenship
 at Macomb Community College in September./C&G photo

Recognizing the community’s increasingly diverse population, Macomb County officials recently supplied signs in multiple languages and a high-tech version of an interpreter at county offices that provide social services.

The first signs, offered in English, Arabic and Bengali – the most common language spoken in Bangladesh – were erected at the new Max Thompson Community Center in Warren.

The on-demand translation equipment, relying on technology known as a VRI, consists of a computer terminal that operates much like a Skype call. This Video Remote Interpreting capability is available at several county service centers and it will be expanded to more locations later this year.

In a press release, Macomb officials hailed this new effort to reach out to the growing immigrant community.

“These initiatives reflect the diversity of the population and we want to ensure that all people are welcomed,” said Steve Gold, director of Macomb County Health and Community Services.

“The new signage will allow more people to take advantage of the many resources at Thompson,” said Rhonda Powell, director of Macomb Community Action. “There are a lot of programs that our clients could miss simply because they can’t read the signs.”

Since 2000, the demographics of Macomb County have changed significantly. The non-white population has increased from less than 5 percent to nearly 20 percent, according to 2014 U.S. Census data. While most of the change is a result of African-Americans now living in Macomb County, a significant percentage reflects immigrants from Arabic-speaking countries, particularly Iraq, and Bangladesh.

The Thompson Family Resource Center, which opened in March. serves the south end of the county and provides services offered by the Macomb County Health Department, the federal WIC program, the Michigan State University Extension and Macomb Community Action programs for low-income families.

More information is available online at hcs.macombgov.org