Language Access & Its Impact In A Democratic Society

 

Language access is a term that describes all of the public services available to everyone with a Limited English Proficiency (LEP). It is a practice of designing society so that everyone in any community, is able to access the same information; regardless of language fluency or handicap. It describes all of the services and all of the government agencies that help people overcome language barriers.

According to the Census Bureau, over 21% of United States residents- or 65 million people- report speaking a language other than English at home. Furthermore, approximately 8.6% or 33 million people report having a Limited English Proficiency (LEP). But when we talk about concepts like language accessibility- even large numbers like 30 or even 60 million- the average person struggles to understand what that means. And it is fair to assume that they also struggle to understand how those big concepts apply to them, specifically.

 

How does language access affect democracy?

A democracy means that a society of people come together, and choose who gets to be in control. The United States government is a representative democracy. Meaning that because the country is so large, there many people in charge of smaller areas rather than just one. Power is given to a small number of people to represent their common interests, rather than just being lucky enough to have a king and queen as your parents.

In a democracy, everyone is supposed to have access to the same things. Whether or not they do is another subject completely. When we talk about language access, especially in a country like the United States, language barriers stop people from participating in democracy. Because if you can't read or understand the ballot then you can't vote. And if you can't vote, then the people who get elected can't work for your interests.

There are 300 million people currently living in the United States and of them 30 million  are LEP (Limited English Proficient). But do you know what those numbers look like? If we didn't contextualize those numbers, would that be accessible language? Because even if you can read the statement, it is difficult to imagine 30 million of anything.

What improvements can we make?

Improving language access at polling places for 30 million people requires a big effort. It means having language professionals working at polling places. It means utilizing language translation software to translate ballots from English into another language. But it has to go farther than the polling locations. Because true language access means that language translation captions would be implemented on all televised debates. It means listening to handicapped voices and immigrant communities and working to make services more accessible for everyone. It also means making sure we use simpler words and taking the time to provide context so that people can understand how a large issue can affect them, even if they aren't directly experiencing it.

Because improving language access for LEP citizens and handicapped individuals means better communication to and for other citizens. In 2024, approximately 20% of adults in the United States are illiterate. Meaning that media news outlets have to make stories accessible so that people with just a high school education can understand. Because even if you can read these English words in this post, you would have missed the point without the additional context.

 

 

 

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