How to Achieve Language Justice in Communities

Language access isn’t just a courtesy—it’s a civil right Kristin Quinlan reminds us that schools are legally required under Title VI and the ADA to provide professional interpretation and translation services. Yet in practice, implementation remains inconsistent. When children are asked to interpret for family members, it places an unfair emotional and academic burden on them. Districts can take four key steps: 1. Translate essential documents (enrollment, IEPs, policies, report cards). 2. Partner with qualified language-service providers. 3. Develop a district-wide language-access plan and train staff. 4. Embed language access in district goals and seek sustainable funding. Quinlan emphasizes that building systems for language access strengthens family engagement, supports equity, and is critical for student success. https://lnkd.in/g5iMzTyA

🛑 Stop Translating Everything. ✅ Start Building Linguistic Access. Here’s the truth: Translation ≠ Access. Compliance ≠ Equity. 📊 72% of multilingual learners process content faster when allowed to use all their languages—yet most classrooms are still designed for monolingual minds. We don’t need more PDFs in 9 languages. We need design that honors multilingual brilliance. 💡 Try this instead: 1️⃣ Visual-first teaching – icons + diagrams > text walls 2️⃣ Translanguaging – let students think across languages 3️⃣ Celebrate home languages – make them visible, valued, vocal Multilingual learners aren’t liabilities to support—they’re leaders in the making. When we stop translating for them and start building with them, we move from survival to celebration. Let’s stop settling for compliance. Let’s start leading with intention. Language isn’t the problem. It’s the power. — 🧠 Angel Martinez | MLL Educator Reimagining equity through linguistic access. #MLLs #Translanguaging #LinguisticJustice #MultilingualMatters #EdEquity #ViralEdu #MLLEducator #AssetBasedEducation #LanguageIsPower #InstructionalDesign

AI and Indigenous Language Revitalization: What Can U.S. Language Access Advocates Learn? This thoughtful piece by Stefan Huyghe and Lawson Stapleton doesn’t just explore AI’s role in revitalizing Indigenous languages, it also provides great insights to our language access work here in the U.S. At its core, the article makes a powerful case: language technology alone isn’t the solution; trusted relationships, co-creation, and community control are! And that’s where Language Services Providers (LSPs) come in. In the U.S., we have seen firsthand how immigrant, refugee, and LEP communities are routinely failed by systems that don’t consider #languageaccessisacivilright. But just like in Indigenous revitalization projects, what’s missing isn’t just resources but also trust. LSPs are uniquely positioned to bridge that gap. We are more than vendors, we are guardians of civil rights, educators, and advocates. We understand the technical side of language, but we also understand the human cost of exclusion. Whether helping a hospital system serve multilingual patients or a school district communicate with newly arrived families, we are often the only ones standing between a person and the services they need. The article touches on several lessons we should apply in our own work: first read the Bible and learn lots of vocabulary! 🤯 jk, but I had no idea how important the Bible is for revitalization projects! But seriously: • Language access without community control is not real access. • Symbolic inclusion is not enough,impact must be measurable. • Small language models can support access, but they must be designed ethically and locally. • And most importantly: economic empowerment matters. Hiring interpreters, training bilingual staff, and building community infrastructure isn’t charity, it’s justice. As we fight for stronger enforcement of Title VI, Section 1557, and other civil rights protections, this article reminds us to center the voices of those most impacted. To listen first. And to build systems that not only include but empower. Shout out to @lawson, Ludmila Golovine Jace Norton and others for their work on indigenous languages preservation. It is such an important work. Read the full article below. #LanguageAccess #LSPs #AIforGood #effectiveinclusionthroulanguageaccrss #IndigenousLanguages #LanguageJustice #HealthcareEquity #EthicalAI #CivilRights #LanguageRevitalization