BELLEVUE, Ohio—The $509.6-million Firelands Federal CU here is turning to artificial intelligence to help eliminate one of the biggest practical barriers to serving diverse communities: language.
Firelands said it is rolling out AI-powered translation tools in its Norwalk and Sandusky branches so non-English-speaking members can communicate directly with staff in real time—without the credit union having to hire multilingual employees for every branch or rely on outside interpretation services.
Firelands said the initiative is designed to ensure members in Erie, Huron and Crawford counties receive the same level of service regardless of the language they speak, as the communities it serves continue to become more diverse. The credit union is partnering with Bloomington-based CUSO Traduality and using its Fire Lingo platform to support both in-branch conversations and multilingual member-facing materials.
At the branch level, Firelands said Traduality’s “Fire Lingo Face-to-Face” will allow employees in Norwalk and Sandusky to hold direct, natural conversations with members in their preferred language during in-person visits, reducing the need to bring in interpreters or delay service while staff search for someone who can translate. The credit union is also using “Fire Lingo Cloud” to create multilingual marketing and financial education materials, extending that outreach beyond the teller line and into member acquisition and education.
In a statement, President/CEO Brett Montague said the goal is straightforward: making sure “a language barrier never stands between a member and the financial support they need.”
Firelands said the rollout at Norwalk and Sandusky is the first step in what it described as a broader effort to deepen relationships with non-English-speaking members already living and working in its field of membership.