BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Erie County Legislature passed the Language Access Act, which will make interpretation and translation services for six different languages required in the next few months.
This aims to make using county services much easier for non-English speakers.
Patience Nimely-Keys moved to the area almost 20 years ago and remembered experiencing those translation problems firsthand.
“I came to the United States with my father, me plus my 3 siblings,” Patience said.
She moved to the United States from Liberia in 2004 with her family that spoke limited English.
She said that the language barrier became especially apparent when her father suffered an allergic reaction to shrimp, which forced him to get immediate medical attention.
“He had to go to the hospital, and when he went, because of the language barrier, his health diagnosis was not explained to him correctly.”
Over the next several years, she saw this very same theme repeat.
“Going to school was the same thing. Going to the DMV was the same thing.”
Thursday, the Erie County Legislature passed the Language Access Act by a vote of 7-4, to try and help people like Patience have more access to those county services.
This law applies to the top six non-English languages spoken in Erie County -- those will be determined by the Language Access Advisory Board in the future.
This law will provide non-English speakers “competent and timely” interpretation services and translate things like vital documents, emergency alerts and public service announcements.
A full link to the bill can be found below.
“We made sure that all residents in Erie County have access to county services and understand in their native language and the languages they are most comfortable speaking,” said (D) Chairwoman, Erie County Legislator April N.M. Baskin.
The Democratic legislators like Baskin voted this act to pass, however several Republicans like Christopher Greene still have a lot of questions about how much this will cost and how it can feasibly happen.
“There's zero price tag, but there’s obligations in the law to cover costs, but we just don’t know what those are going to be,” Greene said. “It’s just irresponsible to pass it.”
Baskin said these translation services are already used at federal buildings, and the county needs to join in that too.
“We have not seen any cost burden to county residents or county taxpayers or to the county budget,” Baskin said.
“This could be anywhere from a $100,000 cost to the county, or it could be $50 million cost,” Greene said.
The passed bill will now head to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz to sign.
The Language Access Advisory Board will have 180 days after that to determine those top six languages, and how to best provide those services.
