CLICS/CLICS2024A/commsumm.nsf
PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For KEY FEATURES OF US STATE AND LOCAL LANGUAGE ACCESS LAWS AND POLICIES
INTERIM COMMITTEE LANGUAGE ACCESS ADVISORY BOARD
Date Nov 12, 2024
Location SCR 357
Key Features of US State and Local Language Access Laws and Policies - Committee Discussion Only
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10:06:22 AM |
Jacob Hofstetter,
Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute (MPI), began his presentation
titled State Language Access policies: Key Considerations and Scan of Efforts
in State Legislatures. The presentation can be found as Attachment B. He
explained that MPI focuses on migrant integration in states and localities
and studies how the federal government is expanding language access policies
and requirements.
Mr. Hofstetter spoke about his research on issues related to language access
and how states and localities implement language access measures. He discussed
agency responsibilities and policy administration, including developing
the infrastructure to provide language access and accountability measures.
He reviewed key considerations for designing and implementing language
access measures, such as: public touchpoints; existing efforts and their
scalability; the nature and extent of the need for language assistance;
and the resources and capacity available to support new or existing measures.
Additional considerations he discussed for providing language assistance
include: interpreting for both in person and remote meetings; translating
online materials; balancing the efficiency and accessability of AI with
the accuracy of AI; and providing public notice of services.
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10:16:47 AM |
He summarized the results of his review of language access in Colorado's peer states, which include Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Minnesota. The key takeaways from this review are that only Oregon has a dedicated office to provide language access; the onus is generally on individuals themselves to request language access services; the majority of state and agency websites offer translation via Google Translate; and language access efforts require coordination, scheduling, and contracts.
Mr. Hofstetter answered questions about the benefits and use of AI. He said it holds promise but it also has limitations, that discussed the importance of having AI translated materials reviewed by a human. He stated that it is more important to provide accurate information, even if it is slower, than provide faster information that is less accurate.
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