Government / Documents & Resources / Accessibility / Language Access Program

LANGUAGE ACCESS PROGRAM / PROGRAMA DE ACCESO LINGÜÍSTICO

The City of Concord is committed to providing accessibility to persons whose dominant, only, and/or primary language is something other than English, and to improving and increasing access to City-operated programs and services.

The City of Concord has been accepted into Institute for the Study of the Americas’ Local Government Language Access Collaborative, in partnership with El Puente Hispano, an active non-profit organization dedicated to furthering Hispanics in the area. Through this program, our City-Community team of 7 will learn promising practices, conduct an assessment to gauge current offerings and opportunities, and draft/implement a language access plan.

The team will focus on expanding our Spanish language offerings, but also aim to include other languages based on community need.

Our progress can be tracked through this webpage and El Puente Hispano’s newsletter, Conéctate Cabarrus.

La Ciudad de Concord está comprometida a proporcionar acceso a información y recursos a las personas cuyo idioma predominante, único y/o primario no es el inglés y a mejorar y aumentar el acceso a los programas y servicios que la Ciudad brinda.

La Ciudad de Concord ha sido aceptada en el programa de Colaboración para el Acceso al Idioma de los Gobiernos Locales del Instituto para el Estudio de las Américas en asociación con El Puente Hispano, una activa organización sin ánimo de lucro dedicada a promover el desarrollo de los hispanos en la zona. A través de este programa, el equipo comunitario de la Ciudad, compuesto por 7 personas, aprenderá prácticas prometedoras, llevará a cabo una evaluación para analizar lo que ya se ofrece y las oportunidades disponibles actualmente y creará e implementará un plan de acceso lingüístico.

El equipo se concentrará en ampliar los recursos lingüísticos en español, pero también aspira incluir otros idiomas basados en las necesidades de la comunidad.

Nuestro progreso se puede seguir a través de esta página web y el boletín de El Puente Hispano, Conéctate Cabarrus.

 

Adopted Language Access Plan

Project Updates / Progreso del Proyecto

City Launches Language Access Plan

5/31/2024 8:06:00 AM

The City of Concord is one of the largest and fastest growing cities in the state and is recognized nationally as one of the best places to live for families, and one of the top places to move to in North Carolina. With an increasingly diverse population, the City recently adopted a Language Access Plan to address communication barriers and help ensure Concord continues to be a welcoming and desirable place to call home.

The Language Access Plan (LAP) is the culmination of a year-long collaborative effort with El Puente Hispano and experts at UNC-Chapel Hill. The City of Concord was one of nine municipalities accepted into the inaugural Language Access Collaborative program facilitated by the Building Integrated Communities team at the Institute for the Study of the Americas. Through the program, City staff worked with El Puente Hispano to evaluate current practices and policies, conduct a needs assessment, and create a plan to improve communication with residents with Limited English Proficiency.

Currently, about 19.3% of Concord’s population speaks a language other than English and 4.6% of residents speak English less than “very well.”  The top three languages most frequently encountered in the community include Spanish, Hindi, and American Sign Language. These are the three strategic languages that the LAP will focus on initially, with additional languages evaluated each year and the plan updated as needed.

Over the next year, with support from grant funding through the Language Access Collaborative, the City will begin implementing goals from the LAP.  These goals include:

  • Increase translation of vital documents and notices, beginning with the three strategic languages.
  • Provide interpretation services for residents, as requested, during public meetings.
  • Develop internal training to share language access resources, requirements, and services.
  • Create an inclusive emergency response plan.

Recognizing that many residents and visitors speak different languages and need different levels of support, and the first place they often look for information is online, the City has already begun adding accessibility tools to its website. The City recently added the Recite Me toolbar to its website, concordnc.gov, to enhance accessibility and improve user experiences. This program offers users various translation, visual, and audio tools so they can read and understand the City’s online content in the ways that work best for their unique needs.

The City also currently offers a bilingual pay incentive to employees who successfully pass a competency exam, and contracts with on-demand interpreters to assist residents with Limited English Proficiency when calling Customer Care, public transportation, or public safety. The City will work to expand upon these efforts through implementation of the Language Access Plan.

 

Key Terms and Concepts

Bilingual: A person who is fluent in two or more languages. Someone who is bilingual may be able to perform their own job in both languages, but they may not be trained or qualified to interpret or translate.

Qualified Interpreter/Translator: “An individual who has been assessed for professional skills, demonstrates a high level of proficiency in at least two languages, and has the appropriate training and experience to interpret with skill and accuracy while adhering to the National Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice.”11 This is different than a certified interpreter or translator, who has taken additional steps to meet the requirements and pass the exams of a certifying body for their specific profession (e.g. Certified Medical Interpreter or Certified Court Interpreter).

 

Language Access: providing individuals who dominant, only, and/or primary language is something other than English reasonable and meaningful access to the same services as individuals who speak English; also refers to the laws and policies that guarantee people access to written, verbal, or visual materials or services in their preferred languages.

 

Language Justice: a framework that respects every individual’s fundamental language rights—to be able to communicate, understand, and be understood in the language in which they prefer and feel most articulate and powerful; challenges the idea that English is the dominant language and highlights historical and current power dynamics; questions the notion that not speaking English is a deficiency and honors that speaking all languages is an important part of a community’s power

 

Translation: The process of adapting written text from one language to other language(s), with consistent and accurate meanings. A finished document should read as if it has originally been written in the target language for the target audience.

Interpretation: The process of adapting oral speech from one language to another, either simultaneously or delayed (consecutive), without loss or change in meaning. An interpreter must be competent and have knowledge in both languages of the relevant terms or concepts particular to the program or activity and the dialect and terminology used by the individual has limited english proficency. Interpreter competency requires more than self-identification as bilingual.