Language Access in Colorado State Agencies: Existing Efforts and Opportunities for Expansion

Providing language access—that is, ensuring that language barriers do not impede access to government information and services—is a key concern for advancing the equitable delivery of public services, supporting the successful integration of immigrants into U.S. communities, and improving the effectiveness of government programs. It is also a longstanding federal civil-rights requirement. This can be done, for example, via the use of remote or in-person interpreters for spoken language or the translation of written and online content.

Colorado has grown as a destination for immigrants in recent decades, and so too has the importance of ensuring language access in state programs. This report assesses the state of language access measures in Colorado state agencies, analyzing the results of a survey and interviews with agency representatives. It also offers recommendations for how the state government should move forward in addressing language access via strategic and coordinated cross-agency processes, and potentially a statewide language access policy.

With many other states and localities facing similar language access implementation challenges, this research and the strategies recommended are relevant beyond Colorado. The findings offer important questions, considerations, and lessons for others seeking to better understand and improve language access in their own jurisdictions.