Adding Languages Your Team Speaks

Quick Answer

Add all languages your team can serve clients in to your Organization listing. Languages affect both lead matching and publication assignment—you'll receive referrals requiring those languages and appear on community publications serving those language groups.

Overview

Languages are a critical field for Organization listings. They serve two purposes: matching you with clients who need service in specific languages, and determining which Heritage Web community publications display your listing. A law firm with Spanish-speaking staff, for example, will appear on LosAbogados.com and receive referrals from Spanish-speaking clients.

Why Languages Matter

Purpose	How It Works
Lead matching	Receive referrals from clients seeking your languages
Publication assignment	Appear on community publications for those languages
Client communication	Show clients you can serve them in their language
Community connection	Build trust with cultural communities

Languages vs. Community Connections

Both affect publication assignment, but differently:

Field	Purpose	Example
Languages	Communication capability	"We speak Spanish"
Community Connections	Cultural affinity/identity	"We serve the Latino community"

A business might speak Spanish (language) while specifically serving the Mexican-American community (community connection). Both inform where your listing appears.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Access the Languages Section

Go to your Organization listing edit page
Scroll to the Languages section
Click to expand if collapsed

Step 2: Add Languages

Click Add Languages or the + button
Search or browse for the language
Select the language from the list
Optionally indicate proficiency level or speakers

Step 3: Add All Team Languages

Include every language your team can serve clients in
Don't limit to just the owner's languages
Consider reception, support staff, and partners

Step 4: Save Your Changes

Review your language list
Click Publish Draft to save
Publication assignments update after approval

What Languages to Add

Include Languages Where Your Team Can:

Conduct consultations
Explain services and answer questions
Handle paperwork and documentation
Provide ongoing client communication

Consider All Team Members:

Role	Languages to Include
Owners/Partners	Their fluent languages
Associates/Staff	Languages they serve clients in
Reception/Support	Languages for phone and intake
Contract interpreters	If regularly available

Example: Multi-Language Law Firm

Team Member	Languages	Include?
Senior Partner	English, Farsi	✓ Both
Associate Attorney	English, Spanish	✓ Both
Paralegal	English, Spanish, Portuguese	✓ All three
Receptionist	English, Farsi, Arabic	✓ All three

Result: Firm lists English, Farsi, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic

Languages and Publication Assignment

Your language selections determine which community publications feature your listing:

Language	Potential Publications
Spanish	LosAbogados.com, LatinoDoctor.com
Farsi/Persian	IranianLawyers.com, IranianDoctors.com
Chinese	ChineseLawyers.com, ChineseDoctors.com
Korean	KoreanLawyers.com, KoreanDoctors.com
Arabic	ArabLawyers.com, ArabDoctors.com
English	HeritageWeb.com (default)

Best Practices

Do:

List all languages your organization can serve clients in
Update when you hire multilingual staff
Be honest about capability—clients expect service in listed languages
Include languages spoken by any client-facing team member

Don't:

List languages no one on your team speaks
Forget to add languages when hiring new staff
Remove languages when a speaker leaves (if others still speak it)
Limit to just the primary owner's languages

Important Notes

Languages are used in lead matching—clients can request specific languages
Languages affect which community publications display your listing
All team languages count, not just the owner's
You can create multi-language Overview content after adding languages
English is typically included by default

FAQs

Does adding more languages get me more leads? Adding languages you can actually serve clients in expands your reach. But only add languages where your team can genuinely communicate—clients expect service in listed languages.

What if only one person speaks a language? Include it if that person regularly serves clients in that language. Remove it if they leave and no one else speaks it.

Should I add languages I'm learning but not fluent in? Only add languages where you can confidently serve clients. Partial fluency may frustrate clients expecting full service.

How do Languages relate to Community Connections? Languages indicate what you speak. Community Connections indicate cultural communities you identify with or serve. Both affect publication assignment, and they work together.

Can I create content in a language I've added? Yes. Adding a language unlocks the ability to create Overview and other content in that language for specific publications.