- Need assistance and
- Have the right to receive assistance in my spoken language. Please provide me with an
- Interpreter and note my spoken language in your permanent records. Thank you.”
- E. “Language Access Point of Contact (LAPOC)” refers to the official within the agency
- Who coordinates and supervises agency activities undertaken to comply with the
- Provisions of this policy.
- F. “Language access services” entail assessing the need for assistance in a language other
- Than English and offering interpretation and/or translation to facilitate communication.
- G. “Language Line” refers to LanguageLine Solutions, a company that provides
- Interpretation services over the phone for all DC government agencies.
- H. “Language ID Guide” is a tool that Language Line provides for identifying a customer’s
- Primary language. The Language Access Coordinator supplies this tool to members.
- I. “Language threshold” denotes agency exposure to a non-English language spoken by a
- Limited or non-English proficient population that constitutes 3% of the agency’s
- Customers or 500 individuals, whichever is less. Once the agency reaches the threshold
- For a language, the agency must provide translations of vital documents in that
- Language.
- Language Access Program
- 4
- J. “Limited English proficient (LEP)” describes an individual who does not use English as a
- Primary language and who has a limited ability to speak, read, write, or understand
- English.
- K. “Members” are all agency employees, as well as volunteers, grantees, contractors, and
- Affiliates providing direct services to the public on behalf of the agency.
- L. “Non-English proficient (NEP)” describes an individual who does not speak, read, write,
- Or understand English.
- M. “Primary language” indicates the language that a customer is most comfortable using. It
- Is usually (but not always) the person’s first or native language.
- N. “Translation” is the conversion of written wording from one language (the source
- Language) into an equivalent wording in another language (the target language).
- Although the public and media often use the term interchangeably with
- Interpretation,” the word “translation” refers to written texts and “interpretation”
- Any person or organization may file a public complaint alleging a violation of the
- Language Access Act. The D.C. Office of Human Rights addresses these complaints,
- Which may regard both individual and systemic noncompliance. A customer may file the
- Complaint directly, but a person or organization with an interest in the customer’s
- Welfare may also file a complaint on the customer’s behalf. Members shall in no way
- Retaliate against complainants and/or their representatives, and shall provide these
- Persons or organizations with the same level of service that other customers receive.
- Should a customer wishing to file a language access complaint contact the agency,
- Members shall report the incident to the Language Access Point of Contact, and provide
- The customer with the following resources:
- (1) The Office of Human Rights Language Access Complaint Form;
- (2) The URL for the online Office of Human Rights Language Access Complaint Form
- (http://ohr.dc.gov/webform/language-access-public-complaint-form); and/or
|
- (3) The Office of Human Rights phone number (202-727-4559).
- J. Resources
- Members shall have the following resources available to better serve LEP/NEP
- Customers: digital and hard-copy translations of vital documents; access to contracted
- In-person and telephonic interpreters, as well as to the list of agency bilingual staff
- Interpreters; materials from the Office of Human Rights, such as “I Speak” Cards and
- Language ID Guides; [add any agency-specific resources, e.g., dual handset telephones];
- And training.
- Language Access Program
- 8
- VI. PROCEDURES
- The following procedures are suggested examples; amend as necessary to apply to the
- Agency.]
- A. Identifying LEP/NEP persons
- Members must keep in mind the fact that LEP/NEP designations are context-specific;
- LEP/NEP persons may possess sufficient English language skills to function in certain
- Types of communication (e.g., speaking or listening), but still be LEP/NEP for other
- Purposes (e.g., reading or writing). When members suspect or are told that customers
- They encounter are LEP/NEP, they shall use the following protocol to determine whether
- Or not the customers are actually LEP/NEP:
- 1. Ask: “Do you speak English very well?”
- A. If the person answers “Yes,” continue communicating with the
- Very well” should be regarded as English proficient and should not be
- Considered LEP/NEP persons.
- B. If the person answers “No,” appears not to understand what the member is
- Saying, otherwise indicates a lack of comprehension, or states “I speak it a little”
- Or “I speak it okay,” the member shall assume that the person is LEP/NEP and
- Attempt to identify the primary language following the procedures described in
- Part IV.B of this policy. Individuals who report speaking English as anything less
- Than “very well” (i.e., “well,” “not well,” or “not at all”) must be regarded as
- LEP/NEP and eligible to receive language access services.
- 2. If the LEP/NEP person can speak or understand some English, the member shall
- Administrative, Ask, Agency, Attorney, C, Oral, Contracts, Conversion, Client, Data collection, Databases, DC, English, Forms, Government, Hiring, Http, Interpretation, Legal, Law, Listening, Director, Materials, Meetings, Access, Mail, Office, Word, Personnel, Policies, Posters, Proposal, Speaking, Read, Reading, Receiving, Reception, Rendering, Reporting, RFP, Spanish, Speech, Telephone, Phone, Telephones, Translating, Translations, Translation, VI, Websites, Written, Written communication, Written, Communication
- Speaking
- Service Orientation
- Active Listening
- Social Perceptiveness
- Writing
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Critical Thinking
- Time Management
- Active Learning
|