Language Access Program: Low compliance risk, but better coordination and guidance needed

Published January 8, 2025

Vital county services cannot be provided without effective communication, even with those who do not speak English. The audit objective was to determine whether the County complied with language access rules related to translation and interpretation services and whether those services were effectively and efficiently provided.

What was found:

The County provided services for people who need language access. But there were still some areas where language access could be improved. Unclear guidance and procedures around language access services led to confusion and inconsistency. This uncertainty resulted in staff hesitation to use contract translators and interpreters, which in turn placed an undue burden on bilingual employees. County staff were not able to answer basic questions such as how much are we doing, how much should we be doing, and can we do it more efficiently. We found that:

• There was some risk of noncompliance with federal language access rules.
• Language access portions of the Civil Rights Act policy did not provide clear guidance.
• The County didn’t know what language access services were needed and provided across the organization.
• Without procedures, translated documents were not readily available and contracts were underused and uncoordinated.
• Bilingual employees bore the burden of unclear policies and procedures.

What was recommended:

We recommended that County Administration:

• assign responsibility for language access.
• update the Civil Rights Act policy to provide clear guidance.
• create a language access plan.
• add mandatory procedures to the policy.
• create a policy for the bilingual program.