Prestige Network celebrates
UN International Day for the
World's Indigenous People

15 August 2007

Staff at language services specialist Prestige Network have marked the International Day for the World's Indigenous People 2007 by holding a multicultural picnic in the gardens at its head office in Thatcham.

Staff came together in a celebration of diversity and multiculturalism by wearing the traditional dress of their home country and bringing food to share at the picnic.

The company, which embraces multiculturalism in the flesh with at least 90% of its staff from countries such as Czech Republic, Slovakia, Australia, Sweden, Holland, South Africa, Turkey, India and Iran, is a major player in language services.

Iranian-born Shawn Khorassani, Business Development Director at Prestige, said: ""With such a multicultural atmosphere in our offices, there often seems to be someone bringing in food from around the world and we decided that sharing our cultures in this way would be an ideal celebration International Day for the World's Indigenous People.

"We are very much like a mini United Nations here because our staff come from all over the world - at least 90% of our staff originate from countries other than England and we believe that this brings a breadth of cultural awareness which few companies have.

"We have seen our number of non-English staff expand considerably over the past year and we feel it's important to recognise differing cultures and the diversity that these staff bring. There is a serious message behind International Day for the World's Indigenous People, who are affected by issues such as culture, education, health, human rights, the environment, and social and economic development."

International Day for the World's Indigenous People is celebrated each year on 9 August. The day was started by the UN General Assembly to take place throughout the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People. In 2004 the Assembly proclaimed a second international decade to further strengthen international co-operation for the solution of problems faced by indigenous people.

Mr Khorassani added: "At the very heart of what we do at Prestige Network is an understanding of individuals' specific cultural needs and expectations - this is essential to achieving the desired level of communication between an organisation and individuals.

"We can only begin to imagine some of the issues faced by indigenous people around the world every day. We already feel that our business helps people to overcome social barriers which they may face because of language when they come to the UK, but we wanted to feel that we could help in other ways too."

With 16 years' experience, Prestige has earned a reputation for quality and dependability that has resulted in a strong position within the industry. We provide a comprehensive range of services in all languages and have pioneered new language technologies by responding directly to increasingly diverse challenges. It is a move which underlines our position as a market leader in providing language services.

END.

Kate Wiley kw@prestigenetwork.com
(PR and Marketing Executive)

Shawn Khorassani sk@prestigenetwork.com
(Business Development Director)

Tel: 0870 770 5260

• A photographic opportunity is available, with a number of Prestige Network staff in national costume on the day.
• Photos available for supply on request
• Formed in 1991, Prestige Network is a special language services provider based in Thatcham, Berkshire.
• The company currently employs 20 people in its head office at the Thatcham site, with around 4,000 language specialists across the UK. It also has offices in London and Edinburgh.
• Prestige Network can cater for all language and communications needs in the public sector, including central and local government departments, the NHS, charities, the police and other public organisations.
• They can provide services in language translation, face-to-face and telephone interpreting, multilingual publishing, voice recording, Braille, British Sign Language, language and cultural consultancy, language teaching.