ATA Newsbriefs

Two senators are teaming up on a bill to codify language access standards for federal services after the Trump administration revoked a longstanding policy requiring agencies to make services accessible for people with limited English proficiency.

Senators Andy Kim and Mazie Hirono introduced the Language Access for All Act of 2026. The bill would require agencies to ensure individuals with limited English skills can “meaningfully access” federal programs, including through translation and interpreting services.

That had been the federal government’s policy for 25 years under an executive order signed by President Bill Clinton in 2000. But last year, President Trump signed an executive order revoking Clinton’s directive and declaring English as the “official language” of the United States.

“There’s nothing more basic to the purpose of government than to help people,” Kim said in a statement. “From accessing veteran benefits to helping file taxes, no one in our country should be barred from accessing critical assistance or resources because of language barriers. As the Trump administration goes after long-standing translation and language accessibility services, this legislation would make sure no president can stand between the American people and the agencies there to serve them.”

The legislation would also create a public complaint system for people who experience language access barriers to federal programs. It would require agencies to designate a language access coordinator and maintain language accessibility plans.

It would also establish technical standards for language access across government, including for AI and automated communications. The bill would bar agencies from fully replacing qualified translators and interpreters with AI-assisted services.

“In limiting multilingual access to federal resources, the Trump regime’s extreme anti-diversity ideology is preventing millions of American citizens from accessing critical services, including small business loans, Social Security benefits, and Medicare coverage,” Hirono said. “By protecting interpreter and translation services, this legislation ensures that all Americans, no matter what language they speak, can get the services they need.”

Federal News Network (7/15/26) By Justine Doubleday

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A new state audit has found that the Oregon Department of Corrections and the Oregon Youth Authority are failing to meet the basic needs of people in custody with limited English proficiency, leading to isolation and gaps in medical care.

The Oregon Secretary of State audit of both corrections systems focused on how the agencies respond to people in state custody whose primary language is not English or who use sign language.

Auditors noted the implications for the communications breakdown, writing that it can lead to “disparate outcomes in health, safety, and civil rights.” Language access, the audit says, is “a fundamental component of delivering fair and accessible public services.”

The Youth Authority has nearly 800 youths and young adults on its caseload. That covers a mix of people who are in juvenile prisons and those on parole or probation. An estimated 12,000 people are in the state’s adult prison system.

“People in state custody with limited English proficiency should not receive worse care simply because they can’t communicate as well with the people responsible for their health and safety,” Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said. “If Oregonians are able to get the treatments and rehabilitation they need in custody, we all benefit when they return to their communities.”

The audit called out both agencies for failing to collect data on whether they are complying with state law. For instance, auditors found that neither agency reports compliance with state requirements related to the use of medical interpreters. The Department of Corrections documents such instances in handwritten logs, making it difficult for the agency to review and analyze. The Youth Authority, meanwhile, tracks requests for interpreters but not how often they are used.

“As a result, neither agency can provide a complete picture of how often interpreters are used, whether those interpreters are bilingual staff or contractors, and whether they are certified when used in healthcare settings,” the audit noted. “They also cannot provide documentation for compliance with requirements.”

In a letter to the audits division, Corrections Director Michael Reese said that while people with limited English proficiency make up a small percentage of the prison population, “their ability to complete assessments, understand processes, and participate in programs are no less important.”

Reese said the agency had already begun to add signs and expand staff training “to ensure language needs are consistently identified, documented, and addressed across the agency.”

The Chronicle (7/29/26) By Mark Graves

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According to findings from a study presented at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies conference in Barcelona, people who speak more than one language seem to have younger brains, and the more languages you speak and the earlier you speak them, the better.

While previous research had observed that people from European countries with greater language proficiency tended to age more slowly, this study measured the impact of speaking languages on individual brains. Scientists in Spain, Chile, Argentina, and Dublin compared people living in the Basque region, characterized by high levels of multilingualism, who spoke Spanish, Basque, French and/or English.

Lucia Amoruso, from the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language in San Sebastián, said: “In simple terms, people who spoke more languages tended to have brains that looked younger than expected for their chronological age. The effect was not only related to the number of languages spoken. Higher language proficiency and earlier acquisition of a second language were also associated with more delayed brain aging. This suggests that multilingual experience matters as a gradient: it’s not simply about being bilingual or not, but about the depth and duration of language experience.”

Researchers considered factors such as people’s age, gender, and education, but cautioned that they could not rule out the potential influence of other factors that may have an impact on the brain, such as lifestyle and social engagement.

Responding to the findings, Christina Dalla, a neuroscientist from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, said: “This study suggests that learning a second, third, or fourth language could help our brains to stay younger for longer, and the earlier we start, the better. There are many good reasons for learning another language at any age—social, cultural, and for the health of your brain—so we should support language-learning at school and throughout life, even if it’s hard.”

But Eef Hogervorst, a professor of biological psychology at Loughborough University, urged caution. While the evidence did suggest being multilingual was associated with better brain resilience, she said, “it may be the case that people who speak multiple languages also engage in healthier lifestyles and/or have better access to other protective environments and activities, such as reading, lifelong learning, and playing musical instruments.”

BBC (7/6/26) By Anna Bawden

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Housing rights organizations in Los Angeles are suing the city’s public housing agency. The suit accuses the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) of denying language assistance to limited-English-speaking clients.

The plaintiffs, including two low-income tenants, say HACLA’s failure to provide language services violates state law and puts their housing status at risk.

“When I received related notices or met with my caseworker, I was not properly provided with interpreting, let alone translated documents,” said Hyun Joo, one of the two tenants involved in the suit. “Even when I went in with an appointment,” she added, speaking in Korean, “if I could not communicate in English at the front desk, there were times when I had to wait indefinitely in the lobby or could not meet my caseworker at all.”

The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA), the Law Office of Autumn Elliott, and the Western Center on Law & Poverty filed the lawsuit in May against HACLA and its president, Lourdes Castro Ramírez.

The Korean Resource Center is listed as a co-plaintiff in the suit. The organization says it has been forced to expend resources helping families denied language support by HACLA.

The lawsuit claims HACLA violated California Government Code Section 11135, which prohibits discrimination in programs funded by the state, and the Fair Employment and Housing Act, which bars discrimination specifically in housing and employment.

Heeyoung “Linda” Park is the LAFLA attorney handling the case. She said while HACLA’s website and its own internal policies state that professional interpreting services should be provided, in practice that was often not the case.

Clients, including Joo and her co-plaintiff, Eva Oceguera, who is originally from Mexico, were therefore forced to rely on English-speaking relatives. In Joo’s and Oceguera’s case, that meant their school-age children.

“The practice of telling people to bring minor children or acquaintances as interpreters also violates HACLA’s own policy and language access obligations,” Park said, noting the legal complexities of Housing 8 rules and requirements. “If they are misunderstood, a person could lose housing assistance.”

In response to the lawsuit, HACLA said in a statement that it is “dedicated to doing all we can to meet the needs of our community and uphold our values around inclusivity and accessibility, including language access.” HACLA also said its Board of Commissioners approved a revised language access services policy in June, adding that the policy “reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring access and information for our diverse population.”

ACOM (7/10/26) By Nicole Chang

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Sir Christopher Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, may have won rave reviews from critics but one person is definitely not happy.

Emily Wilson, the academic whose 2017 translation of Homer’s The Odyssey was cited by the director as an influence on his adaptation of the poem, has written a scathing review of the movie.

Published in the London Review of Books, Wilson said she “would be ashamed to have written any of this script,” describing the film’s narrative structure as “gimmicky.”

“The writing is abysmal,” she said. “None of the characters has convincing motivation for their actions or words. It lacks psychological, emotional, political, and ethical depth.”

Despite this criticism, Wilson acknowledged that Nolan’s work had sparked renewed interest in Homer’s classic. “The release of The Odyssey is still an event to celebrate,” she wrote. “This epic is bringing audiences back to cinemas…translations of The Odyssey, including mine, are flying off the shelves…[and] perhaps the film will persuade a few college administrators not to cut their literature, language, and history departments.”

BBC (7/28/26 ) By Emma Saunders

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