By Ray Birch
BELLEVUE, Ohio—At a time when many financial institutions are still struggling to bridge language gaps with staffing alone, one Ohio credit union found a relatively simple—and surprisingly affordable—way to turn every frontline employee into a multilingual communicator.
The $568-million Firelands Federal Credit Union, which serves more than 36,000 members across six branches, has begun piloting a secure, tablet-based translation system in two locations, allowing real-time conversations between staff and members in six different languages. Unlike common consumer tools, the system automatically deletes all conversation data within minutes, eliminating concerns over sensitive financial information being stored or exposed.
“It’s like an iPad, but built for secure conversations,” said Kelly Steele-Moore, vice president of marketing. “When a member speaks in Spanish, it translates instantly into English for our employee—both spoken and written—and then vice versa. It allows us to actually conduct transactions and answer questions in a way that feels natural and safe.”
The move addresses a challenge that has been quietly growing for years: how to serve increasingly diverse communities when bilingual hiring can’t keep pace. Firelands, which has a sizable Hispanic population near several branches, said it has only one or two bilingual employees across the organization—far from enough to consistently deliver the level of service it aims to provide.
“We would still love to hire more bilingual staff,” Steele-Moore said. “But the reality is, those applicants just aren’t coming in at the level we need. And even if they were, they can’t be in every branch, every day we’re open. This fills in those gaps.”
The system, provided by Indiana-based startup Traduality, is being used at designated stations inside branches. Members are greeted, offered the device if needed, and—depending on traffic—either assisted at the teller line or brought into a private office for clearer communication. The experience, Steele-Moore said, has already changed how both staff and members interact.
“We had one employee who was really nervous the first time using it,” she said. “He took a member into an office, went through the process, and afterward said, ‘That was so easy.’ He felt great that he could finally help someone who hadn’t been able to fully communicate what they needed before.”
Early member response has been equally telling. Steele-Moore said several users have expressed gratitude simply for being able to comfortably explain their needs and complete transactions without confusion or delay.
The technology itself isn’t entirely new to financial services, but adoption remains limited—often due to concerns around cost, security, or complexity. Firelands’ experience suggests those barriers may be lower than assumed. The credit union described the investment as a one-time, “incredibly affordable” hardware cost, with ongoing updates handled through software enhancements such as customizable banking terminology.
Kelly Steele-Moore
Beyond in-branch conversations, Firelands is also extending the effort into outreach—translating social media posts and digital ads into Spanish and working with local organizations that support Hispanic communities.
“That’s our hope—not just to better serve the members we have, but to build new relationships,” Steele-Moore said. “If you’re going to say you serve everyone in your community, you have to actually take the steps to do it.”
For other credit unions facing similar challenges, Steele-Moore offered a takeaway: relying on ad hoc tools like smartphone translation apps isn’t enough.
“Some people said, ‘Well, you can just use Google Translate,’” she said. “But this is secure, it’s consistent, and it’s designed for what we do. It makes it easier for both our employees and our members—and that matters.”
With the pilot still in its early stages, Firelands said it will evaluate expansion to additional branches based on usage and feedback.