Lawsuit Over Translation Services for Welfare Recipients
According to an Associated Press published story from the past week, New York City is getting sued over translation services for welfare clients.
A group called Legal Services NYC filed the lawsuit in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on behalf of six clients. The suit alleges that language barriers caused lost or delayed benefits, among other things. The plaintiffs in the case speak Spanish, Mandarin or Cantonese Chinese, and Soninke, a West African language.
In defense of the city’s position, Commissioner Robert Doar says the Human Resources Administration provides 7,000 to 8,000 contracted interpretation services each year. It also uses hundreds of bilingual staff and community resources.
Doar says the agency has translated 800 forms, brochures and notices into required languages. The plaintiffs in this case it seems are not swayed.
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