Don’t leave language compliance regulations to chance
Translating materials into other languages spoken by your Limited English Proficient (LEP) customers increases communication while supporting diverse cultures within your community. Translation also enables you to remain in compliance with language requirements set forth by state government regarding water issues.
Working with a reputable, trusted translation firm is critical for communicating effectively with your LEP customers. Accurate, high-quality translation of documents, forms, letters and notifications keeps your customers informed –– and keeps you in compliance with California regulatory measures.
Failure to comply with state rules and regulations can result in penalties, fines or legal action against you
Recent changes in state regulations now require water agencies to promptly notify LEP customers in their first language. Specifically, Assembly Bill 938, which went into effect on July 1, 2012, adds new legislative requirements for Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) members, including:
- Tier 1 public notice: Communicate in English, Spanish, and in the language spoken by any non-English speaking group
- Define the appropriate languages for agencies
- Title 22, California Code of Regulations: public water notice within 24 hours
Avantpage’s language services help businesses communicate, collaborate and function more effectively within a multicultural environment. Avantpage helps organizations in the public and private sector reach across language barriers and cultural differences. Translation enables people to create lasting professional relationships based on mutual understanding and crystal-clear communication.
Case Study: Association Of California Water Agencies
Avantpage was asked to translate a project for ACWA into 31 languages – Arabic, Armenian (Eastern), Armenian (Western), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Farsi, French, French Creole, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hmong, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Lao, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian) Portuguese (Continental), Russian, Serbo Croatian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese. Avantpage translated a total of 1,179 words into 31 languages. This project was challenging in that we had to coordinate 31 different translators, get them up to speed on translation requirements, and operate within a tight deadline.
Teamwork between all departments and Avantpage’s collaborative culture helped to create a positive, tightly-focused working environment. Translators, project managers and IT experts all coordinated their efforts to deliver accurate, consistent, high-quality files on a rolling basis to meet the deadline. The result? A satisfied client who is now able to communicate directly and effectively with their LEP customers.
Avantpage also developed a number of practical letter templates for ACWA that can be repurposed for different situations. These can be used to reach out to a large community of non-English speaking persons and keep them informed about the quality of their water.
About Avantpage
Founded 16 years ago, Avantpage is a translation industry leader serving government, education, healthcare, financial, legal and other sectors. We are located in Northern California, and have successfully completed state, national and international contracts, partnering with government and private entities. Call Avantpage today at 530-750-2040, x3, to get a detailed translation needs assessment and get on the path to compliance.
