E.g., 06/04/2026
E.g., 06/04/2026
Language Access: Translation and Interpretation Policies and Practices

Language Access: Translation and Interpretation Policies and Practices

Welcome to the Language Access: Translation and Interpretation Policies and Practices project, created to assist local government administrators, policymakers, and others who are looking for ways to provide high-quality and cost-effective translation and interpretation services. This section features columns written by providers of language access services, data, and other resources.
 

Practitioner's Corner: Advice and Insight from the Field

Advancing Language Access through State-Level Civil Rights Laws

Under civil rights law, recipients of federal funding must provide meaningful access to every person seeking to participate in their programs and activities, regardless of English proficiency. However, legal interpretations of this right largely limit individuals' ability to file lawsuits to ensure they receive meaningful access. California’s civil rights laws and regulations provide greater opportunities to utilize legal action to demand compliance with language rights requirements for the state’s nearly 6.5 million individuals with limited English proficiency. This Practitioner’s Corner details California’s language rights mandates and how advocates have used state law to foster improved language access in state programs and state-funded entities.

 

Practitioners’ Corner Archive

Federal Corner

NCIIP and the Annie E. Casey Foundation hosted a unique, one-day convening on language access to assist federal agencies in the development and implementation of language access plans. The convening brought together federal agency officials and language access managers from community organizations and state and local government to discuss promising approaches to devising, implementing, and monitoring language access services. Resources from the convening include:

Recent Activity

Cover image for New Frameworks for Language Access
Reports
January 2026
New Frameworks for Language Access: Tracking the Expansion & Features of State & Local Laws & Policies
By  Jacob Hofstetter
Cover image for Behind the Scenes...
Reports
May 2025
Behind the Scenes: Mapping How State and Local Governments Implement Language Access Measures
By  Jacob Hofstetter and Alexis Fintland
A Social Security flyer highlights the availability of interpreters in different languages
Short Reads
March 2025
Shifting Priorities: How the Official English Executive Order Could Affect Language Access Efforts
By  Jacob Hofstetter
Cover image for Language Access in Colorado State Agencies
Reports
December 2024
Language Access in Colorado State Agencies: Existing Efforts and Opportunities for Expansion
By  Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Cover image for Expanding Language Access in Federally Supported Programs
Policy Briefs
June 2024
Expanding Language Access in Federally Supported Programs: Practical Solutions for Persistent Problems
By  Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Cover image for Recommendations for the Task Force on New Americans
Policy Briefs
March 2023
Recommendations for the Task Force on New Americans
By  Margie McHugh, Jacob Hofstetter, Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix, Valerie Lacarte, Maki Park, Delia Pompa and Julie Sugarman
Image of an infographic showing key DLL stats
Fact Sheets
October 2022
Dual Language Learners: Key Characteristics and Considerations for Early Childhood Programs
By  Ivana Tú Nhi Giang and Maki Park
Cover image for Overlooked but Essential
Policy Briefs
October 2022
Overlooked but Essential: Language Access in Early Childhood Programs
By  Maki Park, Jacob Hofstetter and Ivana Tú Nhi Giang
More
Cover image for New Frameworks for Language Access
Reports
January 2026
New Frameworks for Language Access: Tracking the Expansion & Features of State & Local Laws & Policies
By  Jacob Hofstetter
Cover image for Behind the Scenes...
Reports
May 2025
Behind the Scenes: Mapping How State and Local Governments Implement Language Access Measures
By  Jacob Hofstetter and Alexis Fintland
Cover image for Language Access in Colorado State Agencies
Reports
December 2024
Language Access in Colorado State Agencies: Existing Efforts and Opportunities for Expansion
By  Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Cover image for Expanding Language Access in Federally Supported Programs
Policy Briefs
June 2024
Expanding Language Access in Federally Supported Programs: Practical Solutions for Persistent Problems
By  Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Cover image for Recommendations for the Task Force on New Americans
Policy Briefs
March 2023
Recommendations for the Task Force on New Americans
By  Margie McHugh, Jacob Hofstetter, Jeanne Batalova, Michael Fix, Valerie Lacarte, Maki Park, Delia Pompa and Julie Sugarman
Image of an infographic showing key DLL stats
Fact Sheets
October 2022
Dual Language Learners: Key Characteristics and Considerations for Early Childhood Programs
By  Ivana Tú Nhi Giang and Maki Park
Cover image for Overlooked but Essential
Policy Briefs
October 2022
Overlooked but Essential: Language Access in Early Childhood Programs
By  Maki Park, Jacob Hofstetter and Ivana Tú Nhi Giang
cover image for A Framework for Language Access: Key Features of U.S. State and Local Language Access Laws and Policies
Reports
October 2021
A Framework for Language Access: Key Features of U.S. State and Local Language Access Laws and Policies
By  Jacob Hofstetter, Margie McHugh and Anna O’Toole
More
Video, Audio
October 21, 2021

Translating Into Success: Key Features of U.S. State & Local Language Access Laws and Policies

On this webinar, MPI researchers examine common features and notable areas of innovation they found in a scan of state and local language access laws and policies in more than 40 states, along with practical insights that local governments can employ as they face growing linguistic diversity in their communities. 

EventPH 2015.3.18 Cross Cutting Needs and Opportunities flickrNewYorkPublicLibrary
Video, Audio
March 18, 2015

Cross-Cutting Needs and Opportunities: Language Access, Funding, Multi-Level Partnerships, and Planning for the Long Term

Part of a series exploring issues likely to be addressed by the new National Integration Plan, this webinar, with perspectives from the cities of New York and Seattle and others examines possible recommendations on federal coordination of local government immigrant integration initiatives, including language access. 

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Audio
September 19, 2012

Making It Work: Lessons in Collaboration on Language Access Contracting

A webinar on language access contracting for federal, state, and local officials, agency administrators, and community stakeholders concerned with the oversight and implementation of language access provision.

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Audio
May 8, 2012

Federal Update: A Conversation on Language Access with the U.S. Department of Justice

This MPI webinar features U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials discussing the department’s efforts to improve communications with Limited English Proficient (LEP) communities in federal and federally-funded programs and activities.

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Audio
October 6, 2011

Language Access and Schools: Federal Requirements and School Experiences

This is the latest in NCIIP’s language access webinar series exploring the policy and program implementation imperatives for government and community agencies serving Limited English Proficient (LEP) populations.

Pages

Recent Activity

Reports
January 2026

New Frameworks for Language Access: Tracking the Expansion & Features of State & Local Laws & Policies

U.S. states and localities are increasingly enacting policies to make sure that language barriers do not prevent people from accessing government information and services, boosting service effectiveness and the ability to connect with residents. This report examines this trend, and the role of state and local policies against the backdrop of a changing federal policy landscape.

Reports
May 2025

Behind the Scenes: Mapping How State and Local Governments Implement Language Access Measures

Language barriers create challenges not only for individuals with limited proficiency in English but also for state and local governments that need to be able to effectively communicate with all members of the communities they serve. This report offers one of the first in-depth examinations of how U.S. states, counties, and cities have designed and implemented language access measures to address these challenges.

Short Reads
March 2025

Shifting Priorities: How the Official English Executive Order Could Affect Language Access Efforts

President Trump’s executive order proclaiming English the country's official language marks a major shift in federal language access policy—revoking longstanding mandates and leaving federal agencies with broad discretion in provision of information and services in other languages. The action raises questions about how federal, state, and local agencies administering federally funded programs will adapt to ensure language barriers do not impede public access to essential services.

Reports
December 2024

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

Ensuring people with limited proficiency in English can access government services for which they qualify and receive important public information is critical to the effectiveness and accessibility of state programs. This report analyzes the state of language access measures in Colorado state agencies and identifies opportunities to strengthen these efforts.

Policy Briefs
June 2024

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

Ensuring that individuals with limited English proficiency have access to information and services in federally funded programs has long been a requirement. But providing effective language access, such as through translation and interpreting, remains an unmet goal and demands new strategies. This policy brief offers some next-generation solutions to achieve a mandate that is more than a half century old. 

Policy Briefs
March 2023

Recommendations for the Task Force on New Americans

The Task Force on New Americans launched by the Biden administration represents an important occasion to deepen understanding of immigrant integration issues and to identify ways to address them. MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, which has long argued for the need to create such an office within the White House, has developed recommendations for the task force in key areas, drawing from its extensive record of research, policy analysis, and technical assistance.

Fact Sheets
October 2022

Dual Language Learners: Key Characteristics and Considerations for Early Childhood Programs

How many Dual Language Learner (DLL) children live in your state, and what share do they comprise of all children under age 5? What languages are most commonly spoken in their households? Answers to these and other questions that are critical to the design and implementation of early childhood programs that reach all children equitably are presented in a series of state-level data fact sheets.

Policy Briefs
October 2022

Overlooked but Essential: Language Access in Early Childhood Programs

Dual Language Learners (DLLs)—young children with a parent who speaks a language other than English at home—benefit greatly from early childhood programs, but they also enroll at lower rates than their peers. This policy brief looks at federal and state language access policies that aim to make such programs more accessible to DLLs’ families. It also examines persistent gaps in participation and ways to address them.

More