In 2016, New York’s Language Access policy, included among its “top six Limited English Proficient languages” Russian, Korean, Bengali, and Haitian Creole, it did not include French, Arabic or any of the indigenous languages spoken by African New Yorkers.

New York State took an important step toward expanding language access when Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order No. 26 in 2011, which orders all executive State agencies to translate vital documents into the six most common state languages (“statewide languages of translation”) and to offer interpretation services to individuals in their primary language.

While New York City took an important step toward expanding language access in 2017 with passage of the Language Access Policy (Local Law 30), there are still significant barriers to language access for New York’s immigrant communities, particularly those who speak languages of limited diffusion (LLDs). LLDs include African languages, many Asian languages, and indigenous Latin American languages.

In 2025, the Language Justice Collaborative (LJC) reached pivotal milestones in advancing language access across New York City. With new funding from the City, LJC expanded its interpreter training initiatives for languages of limited diffusion and launched NYC’s first-ever Community Legal Interpreter Bank, a transformative step in ensuring all New Yorkers can access help in their preferred language.