What Is Cultural Fluency in Customer Experience?

Cultural fluency in customer experience is the ability to understand the context, values and expectations behind a customer’s words, not just the language they speak. For brands serving the U.S. Hispanic market, 70.1 million people and 21% of the U.S. population, with buying power projected to reach $2.8 trillion in 2026, cultural fluency is what turns a service interaction into a lasting customer relationship.

Why does cultural fluency matter for the U.S. Hispanic market?

The size and momentum of the market make cultural fluency a business priority, not a talking point:

• 70.1 million people in the United States identified as Hispanic as of July 1, 2025: 21% of the total population (U.S. Census Bureau).

• 16 states have 1 million or more Hispanic residents, spanning every major region of the country (U.S. Census Bureau).

• The median age of the U.S. Hispanic population is 31.1, younger than the U.S. population as a whole (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025).

• Hispanic residents accounted for 56% of U.S. population growth from 2000 to 2024, more than any other group (Pew Research Center).

• Hispanic buying power is on track to grow 32.1% from 2021 to 2026, compared with 23.2% for total U.S. buying power, reaching a projected $2.8 trillion in 2026 (Selig Center for Economic Growth, University of Georgia).

For any brand with a national U.S. footprint, these are not niche numbers. They describe a mainstream, fast-growing share of the American customer base.

How is cultural fluency different from translation?

Translation converts words from one language to another. Cultural fluency goes further. It accounts for:

• Regional vocabulary and expressions, which vary by country of origin.

• Generational differences between first-generation and U.S.-born customers, including which language and which channel they prefer.

• The values and expectations that shape how a complaint, a request or a compliment is expressed.

• The context behind why a customer is reaching out in the first place.

A perfectly translated script can still fail a customer if it ignores the context behind the call.

What does cultural fluency look like in a customer interaction?

Cultural fluency shows up in how a service is designed as much as in how a conversation sounds:

• Language preference isn’t binary. Many customers move between English and Spanish, sometimes in the same conversation. Routing on a single language flag misses that context.

• One market, many customers. Country of origin, generation and region all shape expectations. Treating the Hispanic audience as one persona hides the differences that matter most.

• Scripts are a starting point, not the experience. Teams that understand context can adapt tone, vocabulary and pace to the person on the other side.

How can brands build cultural fluency into their CX strategy?

1. Audit where language-only support is standing in for real cultural understanding.

2. Segment the Hispanic audience by generation, region and language preference rather than treating it as one persona.

3. Use interaction analytics to see where conversations break down, and why.

4. Pair AI with culturally fluent teams rather than choosing one over the other.

5. Work with a CX partner that treats cultural fluency as a design principle, not an add-on.

Where does AI fit?

Cultural fluency is human at its core. AI helps teams apply it consistently, at scale. In the Atent.AI Suite, AI Agent Assist can bring context to an agent during the conversation, and AI Advanced Insights can show patterns across interactions that a sample would miss. The judgment, empathy and cultural understanding still come from people. Augmented by AI. Driven by people.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of the U.S. population is Hispanic?

As of July 1, 2025, Hispanic residents made up 21% of the U.S. population, or 70.1 million people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

How much buying power does the U.S. Hispanic market have?

U.S. Hispanic buying power is projected to reach $2.8 trillion in 2026, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia. It is on track to grow 32.1% from 2021 to 2026, compared with 23.2% for total U.S. buying power.

Is cultural fluency the same as bilingual support?

No. Bilingual support means an agent can speak the customer’s language. Cultural fluency means the agent, and the service design around them, also understands the context, values and expectations behind what the customer is saying.

How does Atento help brands build cultural fluency into their CX?

Atento is a U.S.-based Business Transformation Outsourcing (BTO) partner that pairs culturally fluent teams with the Atent.AI Suite to help brands connect with the U.S. Hispanic market and capture the growth it represents.

Ready to turn cultural fluency into a growth strategy? Talk to Atento, or read how our BTO model brings AI and human expertise together: From BPO to BTO: Why Customer Experience Outsourcing Needs a New Model.

Related reading

• The U.S. Hispanic Market Is Outgrowing the Market Around It

• The Role of AI in a Data-Driven CX Strategy

Sources

1. U.S. Census Bureau, “National Hispanic Heritage Month: 2026,” Facts for Features. census.gov

2. Pew Research Center, “Key facts about U.S. Latinos,” October 2025. pewresearch.org

3. Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia, The Multicultural Economy (2021 estimates and 2026 projections), as reported by eMarketer. emarketer.com