NJ bill would provide translation, interpretation services for non-English speakers
In the Garden State, 42.4% of foreign-born New Jerseyans over 5 years old speak English less than “very well," and over 150 languages are spoken.
A bill pending in the state Assembly would help residents who speak another language by providing necessary translation services.
The bill, S2459, provides documents and translation services in the "15 most common non-English languages spoken by individuals with limited-English proficiency in the state." Those 15 languages are Spanish, Chinese (combined Mandarin & Cantonese), Korean, Portuguese, Gujarati, Arabic, Polish, Haitian, Russian, Hindi, Tagalog, Italian, Vietnamese, Urdu and French.
Specifically, a state department or agency would be required to translate forms, privacy protections and notices of rights. Over a three-year period, it would occur with the five most used languages in the first year, five more added in the second year and the remaining five in the third year.
Also, the department or agency would be required to produce and display an informational poster describing the available interpretation and translation services in multiple languages. And a language access coordinator would be designated for each agency.
State Sen. Teresa Ruiz, one of the primary sponsors of the bill, which was passed on March 20 in the Senate by a 23-13 vote, said in a statement after its passage, "This legislation takes a slow and deliberate approach to improving the state’s language access by gradually requiring state agencies to begin offering translations in five additional languages each year over the span of the three-year rollout. When people are in need, and especially in crisis, they should be able to connect to the resources available to them.”
Ruiz could be not reached by NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network for further comment.
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Advocates for the bill welcomed its passage in the Senate and are looking forward to its passage in the Assembly before it is signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy.
Amy Torres, executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, the state's largest immigration coalition, said the bill is a "huge win" for immigrants in the state. Torres pointed to it as a positive as she heard from immigrants who had difficulties when going to state offices since there were limited translation and interpretation services.
"New Jersey is more diverse than we've ever been. One in three New Jersey households speak a language other than English at home. And language diversity makes up such a big part of our state," Torres said.
She added, "Over the course of our advocacy campaigns, we have been hearing from members, and directly from community members themselves, about issues with language barriers and language assistance."
Alejandra Sorto, campaign strategist at the ACLU of New Jersey, said the bill's passage is "long overdue."
"This is critical legislation," Sorto said, "... to ensure that all communities in New Jersey, which is one of the most diverse states in the country, have access to information, resources, can interact with government entities, can build trust with the government and the entities that serve communities."
Ricardo Kaulessar is a culture reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region How We Live team. For unlimited access to the most important news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com
Twitter: @ricardokaul
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Translation services in New Jersey would expand under new bill
