Expanding Language Access in Federally Supported Programs: Practical Solutions for Persistent Problems

For more than a half a century, ensuring that language barriers do not keep individuals with limited proficiency in English from accessing services and information has been a civil-rights requirement in federally supported programs. This obligation to provide language access, such as through translation and interpreting, applies to a wide range of state and local systems that receive federal funding, including state workforce agencies managing unemployment insurance programs, local school districts receiving federal dollars through their states, county human services offices overseeing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and private hospitals receiving federal funds when treating Medicare and Medicaid patients.

However, effective language access provision remains a distant goal rather than a reality. And with more than 25 million Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals across the country, these gaps can hinder important and often urgent government efforts to communicate with residents of their jurisdiction, regardless of how well they speak English.

This policy brief explores the many challenges as well as potential solutions for advancing language access in federally supported programs. It begins by identifying gaps in the existing framework of policies and technical assistance that are intended to operationalize language access in such programs. The brief then outlines next-generation strategies the federal government overall and specific agencies and programs can use to improve language access in services managed by recipients of their funding, boosting the effectiveness of federally supported programs and helping LEP individuals access critical services and information.