LEXIGO pitches community-led model as the benchmark for multicultural communications

LEXIGO is positioning itself as Australia’s answer to effective multicultural communications, arguing that results, not translation volume, should decide which agency wins the brief. The Melbourne-based agency points to government, health and community campaigns as evidence that co-creation, trusted messengers and secure translation deliver stronger outcomes.

Why it matters: - Multicultural campaigns can miss the mark if agencies rely on literal translation instead of community-specific communication. - LEXIGO argues that the real test is whether messages change behavior in the communities they are meant to reach. - The agency says its approach matters because language mix varies sharply by local area, not just by national averages.

What happened: - LEXIGO, an Australian translation services and multicultural communications agency, issued a case for being judged on community-led results rather than the number of languages translated. - The Melbourne-based agency says it has delivered in-language campaigns for government, healthcare, community and enterprise teams since 2011. - LEXIGO is a NAATI Endorsed language service provider (LSP950085) and holds ISO 17100, ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications. - The company also published free resources, including a Language Map for every Australian council area and a revised 2026 edition of Mark Saba’s book, The Authenticity Advantage.

The details: - LEXIGO says multicultural communications should start with research into each language group, not a one-size-fits-all national brief. - The agency says messages should be rebuilt through transcreation, not translated word for word. - LEXIGO says creative should be developed with the community and distributed through channels people already use, including in-language radio, WhatsApp, Viber, WeChat, places of worship, sporting clubs and settlement services. - The company points to Census 2021 data showing about 5.6 million people, or 22% of Australians, speak a language other than English at home. - LEXIGO cites Cumberland council in Sydney, where 26.6% of people speak English alone at home and Arabic, Mandarin and Nepali are the leading other languages. - LEXIGO says language patterns can differ sharply between neighboring council areas. - The company’s free Language Map uses ABS Census 2021 data to show languages spoken at home in every Australian council area.

Between the lines: - LEXIGO is trying to shift buyer behavior from procurement based on language count to procurement based on outcomes. - The agency’s pitch is that trusted messengers inside a community can outperform standard media buying when the goal is action, not just awareness. - The emphasis on NAATI certification, second-linguist review and ISO 27001 suggests the company is also selling risk reduction, not only creative execution. - The message is partly a critique of mainstream campaign planning, which LEXIGO says can overstate national averages and underread local realities.

What community-led work has delivered: - LEXIGO says a Department of Health and Aged Care campaign reached 12 language groups through workshops with community leaders and a network of 95 community members. - That campaign produced more than 1,200 assets, reached over 800,000 people digitally and another 200,000 through earned media, and was named a finalist for Agency Campaign of the Year at the NSW Premier’s Multicultural Communication Awards. - A Settlement Council of Australia cancer screening campaign produced 110 resources in 10 languages for more than 20 communities and reached over 300,000 people. - Post-campaign surveys on that work showed an 86% increase in intent to screen. - LEXIGO says it adapted video content for the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission across 21 languages for a potential audience of 365,000, largely through community routes. - The agency says it handled rapid-response communication for the Department of Home Affairs across 63 languages. - LEXIGO also works as an approved panel provider for Services Australia on Centrelink, Medicare, myGov and Child Support information in 20 to more than 70 languages. - The company says it counts more than 50 government departments and agencies among its clients.

What’s next: - LEXIGO is urging prospective buyers to ask four questions before selecting a multicultural communications agency: who co-created the message, whether the plan reaches trusted channels, whether the campaign measures action and whether translation is certified and secure. - The company is using its book and Language Map to reinforce that message and attract future clients. - LEXIGO says it will keep positioning community-led communication as the standard for government, health and enterprise work.

The bottom line: - LEXIGO’s core claim is simple: the best multicultural communications agency is the one that can prove behavior change in the community, not just language coverage.