This document is an introductory guide to help organizations raise awareness on the needs of language access, its impact, how to report, and how to engage in language access awareness campaigns.

What is Language Access?

The phrase "language access" describes services that agencies use to bridge the communication barrier with individuals who cannot speak, understand, read, or write fluently in the host-country language(1). Low English Proficient (LEP) individuals are unable to communicate effectively in English because their primary language is not English and they have not developed fluency in the English language.

In New York language access services can be provided in a number of languages and settings--from the healthcare system to education. Simply put, language access is a term which embodies the right to access services by all individuals regardless of English proficiency or preferred language. In a place of such high diversity, New York’s need for linguistically accessible services is significant.

Language access is often provided in one of two ways: interpretation or translation. The verbal rendering of information from one language into another. The act of interpretation occurs in instances of oral communication, such as medical exams, therapy sessions, wellness groups, health education classes, etc. Translation, on the other hand, is the written rendering of information from one language into another. The act of translation occurs when written text, such as policies, consent forms, patient, education materials, prescription instructions, etc., are converted into another language.

Why is Language Access Important?

There are estimated to be over 800 languages in New York City, and those who speak any of the low-incident languages outside of those included in the top 10 citywide are often left lost in translation when seeking healthcare services and coverage.

• New York City is home to 3.1 million immigrants, the largest number in the City’s history.

• Immigrants comprise nearly 38% of the city population and 45% of its workforce.

• Approximately 49% of immigrants are Limited English Proficient (LEP), meaning that they speak English less than “very well.”

• Nearly 63% of undocumented immigrants are LEP.(2)

• Half of all New Yorkers speak a language other than English at home

• APAs have the highest rate of linguistic isolation of any group in New York City at 42%, meaning that no one over the age of 14 in the household speaks English well or at all(3)

• Half of the most spoken non-English languages are APA languages(4)

Evidence shows that language barriers compromise quality of care and patient safety in the healthcare setting:

• Patients who face language barriers are less likely to have a usual source of medical care, they receive preventive services at reduced rates, and they have an increased risk of

  non-adherence to medication.

• Language barriers expose LEP patients to danger or risk by reducing their understanding of diagnosis, treatment instructions and recommended follow-up care. Inadequate communication also can cause physical harm; 52 percent of adverse events that occurred to LEP patients in U.S. hospitals were likely the result of communication errors, and nearly half of these events involved

  some physical harm.

1. “Language Access.” Migrationpolicy.org, 1 June 2020, www.migrationpolicy.org/topics/language-access#:~:text=The%20phrase%20%22language%20access%20services,in%20the%20host%2Dcountry%20language.

2. Data based on 2012-2016 5-Year American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (ACS PUMS) as augmented by the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity. The ACS PUMS is a weighted sample, and weighting variables are used to generate accurate estimates and standard errors.

3. U.S. Census Bureau, 2016 American Community Survey.

4. 2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.