Why the benefits of bilingual digital accessibility go beyond compliance

Bilingual accessibility and security are key issues for Graham Rivers-Brown, digital transformation director responsible for internal and client compliance at digital transformation consultancy Empyrean Digital. He explains why being based in Wales has helped his company develop compliance expertise that gives it an unusual competitive advantage. 

Wales is one of only a few countries that is officially bilingual – others include Switzerland, India, Belgium, South Africa, and Canada – and this imposes an extra layer of complexity for those responsible for making digital services fully accessible. Every picture, every embedded video, and every accessibility feature must be fully translated and available in both languages. With new accessibility standards and capabilities emerging all the time, Rivers-Brown explains why this expertise is vital for his clients and for their customers.

“Our understanding of bilingual accessibility challenges is a huge selling point with Welsh clients. However, it is also important to clients elsewhere in the U.K. and across the EU,” he says. “Our expertise in this area gives us a competitive edge.”