Looking Forward :
Recommendations to Continue Strengthening Local Language Access
Departments can strengthen their compliance with the Language Access Ordinance ( LAO ) by making operational improvements in a few key areas . The following recommendations are informed by Departments ’ selfreported LAO compliance data , spot checks and language access complaints , and feedback from local advocates and community-based organizations .
Improve Remote Access to Departmental Information and Services :
Prioritize the remote accessibility of Departmental information and services in other languages .
Telephonic Message Systems and Recordings :
During the past fiscal year , multiple spot checks and language access complaints identified telephonic message systems as a problem area for Departments . Some Departments used recorded message systems in English only , while others had outdated or nonoperational phone tree lines for other languages . Operational changes adopted during the pandemic were often the primary cause of issues with these systems . Departments should work with IT staff and qualified bilingual staff or language services vendors to set up or update their multilingual telephonic message systems . OCEIA ’ s LAO Liaison Library has resources to support this effort , including glossaries and a one-page guidance memo for developing multilingual telephonic message scripts . The script tool appears in this report after the Interpretation Coordination Checklist .
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