SWEB 119: Localization

Adapting Your Statewide Website to Better Reach Non-English Speakers

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Today’s Training Strategies for prioritizing content

translation (with limited staff and resources),

Important considerations when reaching out to non-English speaking audience

Technical considerations surrounding multilingual content online

Review of best practices for creating and maintaining multilingual content

Creating multilingual content despite staffing and resource limitations Setting Priorities for Translated Content

Review of the LSC requirements for native language services

Other data to reviewAvailability of translators and partner

organizations

Review of the LSC requirements for native language services

Tillie Lacayo – Legal Service Corporation Review of the Federal law and regulations

related to LEP services. Key elements of an LEP outreach plan Assessment of LEP efforts (TIG

guidelines) Introduction of LEP concepts for websites

The LAWThe Civil Rights Act of 1964 - Title VI of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibiting

national origin discrimination

Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency”, signed by the President on August 11, 2000.

1. Requires Federal agencies to examine the services they provide identify any need for services to those with limited English proficiency (LEP), develop and implement a system to provide those services so that LEP

persons can have meaningful access to them2. Requires Federal agencies to work to ensure that recipients of Federal financial

assistance provide meaningful access to their LEP applicants and beneficiaries

Guidance for Executive Order 13166 - The U.S. Department of Justice policy guidance document, “Enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – National Origin Discrimination Against Persons With Limited English Proficiency”

Sets the compliance standards that recipients of Federal financial assistance must follow to ensure that their programs and activities normally provided in English are accessible to LEP persons and thus do not discriminate on the basis of national origin

LSC Specifics1. The LSC Act (42 U.S.C. §2996, et seq.) Section 1006(b)(6) of the LSC Act, provides that

“[i]n areas where significant numbers of eligible clients speak a language other than English as their principal language, the Corporation shall, to the extent feasible, provide that their principal language is used in the provision of legal assistance to such clients under this title.” 42 U.S.C. §2996(e) (2004).

The LSC Grant Assurances – The applicable LSC Grant Assurance for the 2008 year provides that programs will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, or any other basis prohibited by law against: (1) any person applying for employment or employed by the Applicant; or (2) any person seeking or provided assistance from the Applicant or other program(s) supported in whole or in part by the grant.

LSC’s Strategic Directions - Objective 3, under Goal 2, of LSC’s Strategic Directions: 2006–2010, states that an LSC objective will be to

“Work to improve support for hard to serve areas and populations, e.g., rural areas, migrants, Native Americans, limited English proficiency clients.”

“Technologies That Should Be in Place in a Legal Aid Office Today”, issued by the Legal Services Corporation in May 2008, contains the following expectation with regard to statewide websites:

What should be in place - Web-based legal information and self help support - Needed capacities or functions:

“A statewide website with the …[c]apacity to serve persons with limited English proficiency”

LSC Program LetterLSC Program Letter 04-2, “Services to Client

Eligible Individuals with Limited English Proficiency” Provides a context and guidance for LSC-funded

programs with eligible individuals in their service area who are persons with limited English proficiency.

Aims to ensure access to justice for communities of potentially eligible clients who do not speak English proficiently

A full copy of the letter is available in the resources section of the training online at: www.lsntap.org/SWEB119

What does a LEP policy include? Assessment of Language Needs (of the

client population) Staffing Training Interpreters/Translators Translation of Documents Outreach Oversight

LEP Plan Website Related Issues Interpreters/Translators –

obtaining competent interpretation services for each of the major languages in the program’s service area

Translation of Documents – translation of all “vital program documents”

What are vital documents?

In the LEP target languages for those groups constituting five percent of the client population

Outreach strategies for disseminating information about the availability of

bilingual staff or free interpreters and legal services revising and translating a program’s community outreach materials

into appropriate languages

How LSC assesses a program’s LEP/language access efforts Competitive Grants Process:

reviews of applications for funding from existing grant recipients and potential new grantees, using the Legal Services Corporation Performance Criteria as our guide. The Performance Criteria are located at www.lsc.gov

On-site program quality and program engagement visits

Ongoing periodic in-person contact and phone contact with program executive directors

Assessment of LEP for TIG LSC requires all TIG recipients to consider the needs of

LEP clients.

TIG’s grant assurances on LEP provide as follows:  

“In the development of any Web site, pro se materials, or other grant-supported product, the recipient shall consider the special needs of persons with limited literacy, limited English proficiency, limited experience with or knowledge of computer-related technologies, limited access to computers, or who have limited access to most Web-based or other computer-related systems for any reason.”

Introduction of LEP Website Concepts1. Translated home page - Home page translation into the

targeted language(s)2. Basic Information about the legal service program:

Services available - Information in the targeted language(s) discussing the services - including legal assistance - provided by the program

Addresses and telephone numbers of the program’s office(s)

3. A “click here” button - A button on the home page, in the language of the target population, that indicates that persons who speak the particular language should “click here”. The visitor to the website is then directed to the website content in the appropriate language

Introduction of LEPWebsite Concepts4. Resource information concerning interpretation services

available in the program’s service area for the target language group(s)

5. Community Education materials - Educational materials (brochures, etc.) in the targeted language(s) providing information in a variety of substantive law areas of interest to the client community.

6. Video presentations - Videos in the targeted language(s) to reach persons of limited English proficiency who are not literate in their native language

7. Links – Links to other websites with relevant legal information content in other languages

Other Resources www.lep.gov – The website of the Federal Interagency Working Group on

Limited English Proficiency. Acts as a clearinghouse, providing and linking to information, tools and technical assistance regarding limited English proficiency and language access services for federal agencies, recipients of federal funds, users of federal programs, and federally assisted programs, and other stakeholders.

www.lri.lsc.gov – The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Resource Information electronic library. Provides information about legal services management and delivery approaches and tools. Items posted are from both LSC-funded and non-LSC civil legal services providers and other law-related organizations and institutions.

www.healthlaw.org – The website of the National Health Law Program contains materials related to language access and health care Both the “Diversity” and “Special Populations/Access Barriers” content areas

contain L.E.P. resources and information LEP section contains articles, information on intake systems, manuals, LEP

policies, projects, reports, technology, LSC’s LEP activities, and links to additional sources of LEP information

These are all available in the resources section for this training at www.lsntap.org/SWEB116

Contact Tillie

Tillie Lacayo – tillie[at]lsc.gov or lacayom@lsc.govUpdates on LEP activitiesNew additions to multi-lingual website contentOther technology projects reaching LEP

audienceConsultation or assistance developing an LEP

plan of project.

Prioritizing Content: Assessment of Need Look at census, school or other recent

data Suggested data sources:

http://www.lep.gov/demog_data.html Local or specialized reports Assess what the particular community’s

potential legal needs are (can be very different across ethnic and national groups)

Review Organization Data

Review Case Management data for most needed languages and potential common issues by language.

Talk to hotline and intake staff for up to date information about communities requesting assistance.

Work with Community Organizations

Work with community organizations to understand issues affecting specific language groups:• Will help ensure most relevant content is

translated• May provide partnership to assist with translation• Provides support and partnership for outreach

efforts

Prioritizing translation

Inventory existing high-quality resources Develop new materials and prioritize

translation around your assessments Make sure to develop language materials

to compliment the overall LEP goals or vision of the organization or statewide justice community.

Tips for TranslationOnce you’ve decided what content to translate into certainlanguages:

Don’t substitute quality for quantity. (Accurate translation is critical so prioritize limited translation if necessary to ensure it is well done.)

Use pictures and images to provide explanation wherever possible. American Translators Association – Getting it Right

Translate only relevant sections of existing documents or produce shorter documents in your own language and have those translated. American Translators Association – Getting it Right

Consider video and audio translations for unwritten or difficult font languages.

Finding the Right Translator Whether professional or volunteer

Get background information Experience and references Seek specialists in legal field. If a professional, seek

someone with certification. Ask for “per page” or or “per word” quotes

Establish the editorial process to ensure quality Independent editing by a second translator Proofing Some translation agencies will also test your translation

with a focus group. If not, arrange your own community review.

Community Review Bilingual staff and/or community

partners evaluate the translation for accessibility

If translators and community reviewers disagree, ask this clarifying question:

“Will the suggested changes improve the quality or accessibility of the translation without making a substantial departure from the source document?”

Examples of Certifications General certifications:

American Translators Association (ATA) (www.atanet.org) UN: (www.un.org) Society of Translators & Interpreters of British Columbia (

www.stibc.org) Court Certifications:

California (www.courtinfo.ca.gov/programs/courtinterpreters/)

Washington (www.courts.wa.gov/programs_orgs/pos_interpret)

National Center for State Courts (www.ncsconline.org) Federal Court Interpreter Certification (

www.cps.ca.gov/FCICE-Spanish/aboutus.asp)

Source: http://transcend.net/accreditation.htm

Other Considerations For Translation A Plain Language source makes translation

easier and more effective A Plain Language document typically has 40%

fewer words than the original. As translations are billed on a per word basis, translation costs will be lower. - Transcend.net

Work with access partners to develop uniformity in translations of common terms

e.g. “defendant” and “small claims”

Taking a Holistic Approach Challenges to serving LEP clients Language and cultural differences can be

an added obstacle to accessing needed services

Lack of familiarity with legal services Mistrust of entities perceived to be

governmental agencies Differences in access to and use of

technology

2007 CA Conference on Self Represented Litigrants, Providing Services to Limited-English-Speaking Litigants http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/programs/equalaccess/2007Materials.html

Online resources should not exist in isolation as a delivery system

Will most benefit the target community when they are supported and promoted by an access-oriented delivery system

Cultivate broad partnership networks Self-help centers - Health clinicsLaw libraries - Law schoolsSocial service providers - Local media outlets

Taking a Holistic Approach

Resources

NCSC LEP Resource Guide Limited English Proficiency Guide (LEP) Resource Guide

http://www.ncsconline.org/wc/CourTopics/ResourceGuide.asp?topic=CtInte&guide=179#1007

Legal Glossaries in Arabic, Armenian, Hmong, Mien, Mong, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese by the Superior Court of California, Sacramento County Courts:

http://www.saccourt.com/geninfo/legal_glossaries/legal_glossaries.asp

Empire Justice Center Language Access Resource Center (LARC)http://70.86.230.142/archive/larc/newsitedesign/LARC.htm

Technical Considerations

Displaying Western European languages on the Web has never been a problem

Problems arose with the creation and rendering of non-Latin alphabets

Modern browsers have better support for them than in the past

Unicode

Unicode is an international standard that includes most non-Latin characters and makes storage and retrieval of non-Latin characters on the Web much easier

Many of the workarounds that programs used to display non-Latin languages on their site are no longer necessary

Multilingual Content and Your CMS Modern CMS’s feature strong multilingual

content support Among open source platforms, Plone,

Drupal, and new versions of Zope all have multilingual support that will meet most sites’ needs.

Pro Bono Net also have very strong multilingual support

Machine Translation… Still not there Translation tools have existed for years, but are

still not capable of the type of accurate translation required for legal content

John C. Dvorack, PC Magazine:A few gizmos out there can say "Hello, where is the train station?" or "I have a blue pencil" in 40 different languages. But we're still yearning for a real translation system. Most written translations I see of memos, newspapers, books, and magazines are a joke. Sometimes it is a miracle if you can even get the gist of the text.

PC Magazine, Computing’s Final Frontiers, February 08, 2008

The Mobile Web andMultiligual Content 84% of English-speaking Hispanics have a

cellphone As programs begin to explore the Mobile

Web and technologies like Short Message Service (SMS), it’s important to keep multilingual content development in mind.

Multilingual Content & Document Assembly A2J supports the creation of Spanish

language interviews Interviews have a Spanish interface but

deliver an English legal document In the future, NPADO will feature a

Spanish interface

Idaho - Formas Interactivas

Guidelines for Website Language Projects

Create a Content Management Plan:

Suggestion: 1 point person to manage content

translation and maintenance Tracking translation process

Use project management software Use naming conventions for documents

eg “Eviction 2007 SP draft 1”

Maintaining Multilingual Content

Tickler system to remind you when English versions are updated

Northwest Justice Project has advocates “adopt” specific publications or subject areas.

Periodic review Advocate edits the English version with “track

changes” Point person forwards those notes to

translator

Community Examples: Legal Aid Society of New York

Received funding to create new community legal education materials in Spanish and French

Used outside translators Client legal aid materials available at Law Help New

York: http://www.lawhelp.org/NY/index.cfm/language/39/state/NY.

Process Phase 1: translation with outside vendor and initial

revisions Phase 2: review with second outside vendor, develop

style guide and glossary

Community Examples: Legal Aid Services of Oregon

Developed Spanish and English language websites at the same time

Used existing translations and then “filled in the gaps”

Availability and importance of Spanish language materials helped focus content efforts on both sites

Final product: http://www.OregonLawHelp.org/index.cfm/language/39/state/OR

Community Examples: Northwest Justice Project

Ongoing project outsourcing the translation of self-help documents into Spanish and Russian

Consults hotline staff and advocates and evaluates outside content requests to prioritize translations

Critical subjects: public benefit termination and denials, help with eviction, domestic violence information and farm worker rights.

Washington LawHelp: http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/WA/index.cfm

Tips from “Mile Markers Along the Road Across the Linguistic Divide”

Share financial and planning resources with other organizations

Take advantage of technical assistance available through professional associations

Develop a uniform working manual on interpreting and translating services

The full document is available on the NTAP website: http://lsntap.org/sites/lsntap.org/files/MileMarkers.pdf

Additional Resources www.lep.gov – The website of the Federal Interagency Working Group

on Limited English Proficiency. Acts as a clearinghouse, providing and linking to information, tools and technical assistance regarding limited English proficiency and language access services for federal agencies, recipients of federal funds, users of federal programs, and federally assisted programs, and other stakeholders.

www.lri.lsc.gov – The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Resource Information electronic library. Provides information about legal services management and delivery approaches and tools. Items posted are from both LSC-funded and non-LSC civil legal services providers and other law-related organizations and institutions.

www.healthlaw.org – The website of the National Health Law Program contains materials related to language access and health care

Both the “Diversity” and “Special Populations/Access Barriers” content areas contain L.E.P. resources and information

LEP section contains articles, information on intake systems, manuals, LEP policies, projects, reports, technology, LSC’s LEP activities, and links to additional sources of LEP information

Additional Resources Serving Non English Speakers in US Public Libraries (2008 report with

good statistics):http://www.ala.org/ala/olos/nonenglishspeakers/docs/Linguistic_Isolation_Report-2007.pdf

Serving Non-English Speakers in the Virginia Court Systemhttp://www.courts.state.va.us/interpreters/guidelines.pdf

Public Management and MultiLingual Resourceshttp://www.managementpartners.com/successstories/6-1-07ICMA-PM-ManagingDiverseCommunities.pdf

Article about new Language Line Service with Some Interesting Statisticshttp://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2007_Sept_17/ai_n19521598

TechSoup on Multilingual Web Sites http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/page5379.cfm