From Translator to Peace Champion: Migrant Worker Highlights Power of Language in Social Cohesion

From 6 to 7 June 2026, youth-led advocacy group hash.peace held a workshop as part of the Champions for Peace initiative, which equips youths with practical knowledge and skills in areas such as mental health and social cohesion.

During interviews with attendees, Tasrif, a member of the migrant worker community, spoke about how language barriers can leave migrant workers feeling disconnected from Singapore society.

He recalled his experience volunteering as a translator at HealthServe in 2018 and one case that left a deep impression on him involved a 50-year-old migrant worker who could only speak Bengali.

The worker shared that he had diabetes, but because he could not communicate in English, he had to reply only on medication brought from Bangladesh instead of seeking proper treatment in Singapore.

Over time, he shared with Tasrif that he often felt lonely because he struggled to communicate with people in the community. Having someone like Tasrif to speak to at the clinic helped ease that sense of isolation.

Before returning to Bangladesh, the worker broke down in tears and thanked Tasrif for giving him someone to talk to and for making him feel less alone.

Tasrif said the experience made him realise that language is not only important for accessing help, but also for helping migrants feel connected to the wider community they live in.

With the knowledge and skills he gained from the workshop, Tasrif now hopes to introduce more migrant workers to English so they can communicate more confidently with locals.

In Singapore, there are several NGO-led efforts that provide free English classes for migrant workers.

For example, the British Council has partnered with local NGO ItsRainingRaincoats to offer learning support and free in-person English lessons taught by volunteers.