Translating Local Seafood
Tidings | Apr 16, 2023
Our sustainable seafood team created and translated a local seafood guide into five different languages to serve some of the vibrant immigrant communities here in Maine.
Maine and the Northeast are home to vibrant immigrant communities with ties to countries and regions all over the world — many of which feature seafood as an important part of the cuisine and culture. This winter, our sustainable seafood team, in partnership with Good Shephard Food Bank and Hannaford Supermarkets, created and translated a local seafood guide into five different languages to serve some of these communities here in Maine.
Together, the three partnering organizations convened five focus groups to learn more from 39 participants, representing immigrants from 13 countries. These individuals shared their needs and interests related to local seafood, including where they typically shop, what kind of information currently informs their buying decisions, the kind of seafood they typically eat, and other habits related to seafood.
"I used to eat fish more often in my home country, but the fish here are different and we don’t always know the English names. If we can’t see the fish whole, we don’t know what it is."
Focus Group Participant
Taking what they learned from the focus group participants, the team created translated guides as a first step to help promote and provide access to local seafood for Maine’s immigrants. As we work to ensure that local seafood is accessible and available to the broadest diversity of consumers possible, one of the most important tasks is to hear directly from immigrants about their experiences with seafood in Maine, and how we can help better serve their needs and interests
