Why Government Agencies Need Translation & Interpreting Services

As the limited-English proficient (LEP) population continues to grow, so has its linguistic diversity. As of 2018, a whopping 67.3 million U.S. residents spoke a language other than English at home, nearly triple the number in 1980. And when it comes to school children during the same time period, 22.5% of them didn’t speak any English at home. As a melting pot of diverse nationalities and languages, government agencies have an obligation to deliver public services in a way that all citizens are able to easily understand and comprehend – making language translation services critical.

Whether federal, state, county, or municipality, there’s a wide range of departments and agencies that span judicial branches, emergency services, healthcare, social services, education, disaster response and management, ect., that need to communicate with the public – either individually or en masse. When language barriers exist, the ability for government agencies to convey information is hindered, and when this happens there’s a cost to both the individuals and the agency themselves.

The perils of miscommunication

Can you imagine going to the DMV to obtain a driver’s license but can’t read the signs or communicate with the public servants working behind the counter? Or, being informed via various media of rising flood waters and evacuation is necessary? In either of these scenarios, the chances of the non-English speaking or LEP citizen being able to comply with written or spoken requirements would be difficult at best, and more than likely impossible.

On the other side of the coin are the additional costs and potential impacts incurred by government agencies when they cannot communicate with those they serve, including:

- Additional effort and time required by public servants
- Decreased staff productivity and efficiency
- Budgetary increases and potential revenue loss
- Loss of government funding and fines
- Increased public scrutiny and potential damage to the agency’s reputation
- Decreased engagement of the LEP population in public services
- Undesirable impact on public safety and emergency response

To mitigate these risks, government agencies need to partner with an experienced language service provider (LSP) that can provide professional translation and interpretation services.

Communicate clearly and accurately – every time

Given the compliance, confidentiality, and security requirements of government agencies, the benefits gained by teaming up with an LSP can’t be underestimated. Even if your agency employs multilingual staff, you may find yourself in situations where that just isn’t enough. The experience a professional LSP brings to the table far outweighs keeping translation and interpretation in house. With an LSP that specializes in translations and interpretation for government agencies, your agency will benefit from:

- Reduced costs since staff won’t be spending time correcting miscommunication errors
- Increased efficiency
- Improved response during disaster preparedness
- Enhanced satisfaction within LEP communities
- And more…

By improving communication with non-English and LEP citizens, government agencies will see a breakdown of cultural barriers. This step then becomes the foundation to cultivate a positive public image and build the trust needed in order to effectively serve these communities. When it comes to selecting an LSP for your translation and interpretation needs, be sure they have a process that will meet high accuracy standards, translators that are native speakers of the target language and possess near-native knowledge of the source language, interpreters that can provide on-demand phone interpreting, video remote interpretation services, including Zoom interpretation services, and on-site interpreting, as well as technology to speed the process and reduce costs, and of course are able to demonstrate proven success with government agencies.

If you’d like to learn more about how BURG Translations helps you ensure high quality translations, contact us today.