Episode 5.
RISING VOICES
We need YOU to continue the fight for
Language Justice.
Chapter 5.
The fight for language justice isn't over. For centuries, dominant languages have silenced the voices of uncountable linguistic communities and their cultures. Many languages have been lost to migration, discrimination, and oppressive power.
Yet things are changing. Linguists, interpreters, translators, educators, and allied people are rising to celebrate the richness of a linguistically diverse world. From schools implementing multilingual programs to musicians incorporating endangered languages into their art, the power of language is shining now more than ever.
But, how?
Let's start by acknowledging the presence of multilingual people and their language access needs in our communities.
Visibility is the starting point.
MEANINGFUL ACCESS
“Language assistance that results in accurate, timely, and effective communication at no cost to the individual who speaks a language/s other than English. For those individuals, meaningful access denotes access that is not significantly restricted, delayed or inferior as compared to programs or activities provided to English proficient individuals.”
U.S. Department of Justice Language Access Plan
Interpretation Services
Translation
Services
Video
Recordings
Closed
Captions
Patience
ASL Certified
Deaf Interpreter
Empathy
Decolonizing our
minds from
language supremacy
BELIEVING EVERYONE
DESERVES EQUAL
ACCESS TO COMMUNICATING
IN THE LANGUAGE
THEY FEEL MOST EMPOWERED IN.
can take:
Some action steps YOU
In any interaction, but particularly in regards to education, healthcare and legal matters, STANDARDIZE asking about the person's preferred language.
Look into the DATA about linguistic diversity in your own community, campus, county, or state. Based on that,
ADVOCATE for more and better language access in your community.
If there is no language access plan, push for one.
ACKNOWLEDGE the presence, efforts, contributions, and needs of multilingual people in the spaces you are part of.
Get NAMES RIGHT. Put the effort into learning people's names, even if they
are "hard to pronounce/write" for you. It's a matter of EFFORT.
Be aware of your BIASES, educate yourself, and constantly work on
DECOLONIZING your mind from language supremacy.
If you can, invest time and effort in becoming MULTILINGUAL.
Learn about the historical context of LANGUAGE SUPREMACY and
its connection to racial and social justice.
Terms to Leave Behind
LEP or "Limited English Proficiency"
The Vermont Office of Racial Equity does not recommend using “LEP.” This term is inherently biased, as it highlights a deficiency, rather than an asset. We need to move on from characterizing people by their lack of English language skills, as it contributes to the concept of language supremacy. Let's instead value the power of linguistic diversity and multilingual people.
Vermont Office of Racial Equity 2023 Language Access Report
Instead use:
NON-ENGLISH
LANGUAGE PREFERENCE
PEOPLE WITH
COMMUNICATION ACCESS NEEDS
PEOPLE WITH
LANGUAGE ACCESS NEEDS
PEOPLE WHO SPEAK
OR SIGN LANGUAGES OTHER
THAN ENGLISH
or highlight the asset:
MULTILINGUAL PEOPLE