In January, we predicted that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) would begin taking a stronger stance on language issues under the Obama administration (“Title VI Enforcement to Grow under Obama,” Jan09). Two months later, this assertion is already proving to be true. This week, as federal agencies prepare to hand out funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the DOJ issued an important reminder about the role of language services.

The Department of Justice highlighted the fact that all recipients of federal dollars — and that includes private companies — must comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which expressly prohibits national origin discrimination, “including language access for limited English proficient persons.” In other words, before beneficiaries dole out AIG-sized bonuses, they would be wise to make sure that their budgets account for translation needs.

What does this mean for the language industry and practitioners inside corporations?

• Positive reinforcement from the DOJ. The fact that the Department of Justice is specifically wagging its finger to remind bailout recipients of their obligation to ensure language access is a positive sign for the industry. Savvy language service providers (LSPs) will alert their clients and prospects of the obligations under Title VI, to help raise awareness and alleviate potential hefty fees related to investigations and penalties that may ensue if these language duties are ignored.
• A piece of the bailout pie for LSPs. The program is designed to help the economy recover, and the language services industry is in a good position to directly benefit. To determine which verticals and organizations will receive funding, suppliers should follow the money trail, which promises to be somewhat easier to do, given the Obama administration’s stated commitment to transparency.
• Like father, like son. State and local government agencies often take their cues from the federal government — and, because they too are often the recipients of federal dollars, Title VI is applicable to these folks too. In fact, the federal attention to language issues coincides with other state and industry-specific language access issues that have taken place since the new president entered the White House, as Common Sense Advisory discussed in a recent report (“U.S. Policy Initiatives Forecast Growth in Language Services Market,” Feb09)

In a time of economic downturn, this reminder from the DOJ should be music to the language industry’s ears. Even with cutbacks in many commercial accounts, beneficiaries of recovery monies — both public and private — will not be able to slash language services from their budgets without costly consequences. In fact, the DOJ is making the most of the opportunity to ensure that the funds are spent in compliance with federal law. That’s good news for language service suppliers, especially those that already work in the government space.