Letter Report on the New York City Emergency Management’s Compliance with Local Law 25 Regarding Translation of Agency Website
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The objective of this audit was to determine whether New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) is complying with Local Law 25, which is intended to make City agencies, and ultimately the City as a whole, more accessible to foreign-born residents whose primary language is not English.
New York City, with a population of more than 8.6 million people, is home to one of the most diverse populations in the world, with more than 3.2 million foreign-born residents from more than 200 countries.[1] According to the New York City Department of City Planning, nearly one-half of all New Yorkers speak a language other than English at home, and almost 25 percent of City residents age five and over, or 1.8 million persons, are not proficient in English.[2] For residents with limited English proficiency, interacting with City government and receiving access to City services can be a challenge.
Most City agencies have a significant presence on the internet and rely on agency websites to both provide information to and interact with the public. Accordingly, in 2016, Mayor de Blasio signed Local Law 25, amending the City’s Administrative Code in relation to residents’ ability to translate City Website to their desired language. Local Law 25 requires that every website maintained by or on behalf of a City agency include a translation service enabling users to view the text of that website, wherever practicable, in languages other than English. It also requires that the translation service be identifiable in a manner that is comprehensible to speakers of the seven most commonly spoken languages in the city. As determined by the Department of City Planning, the seven most commonly spoken languages in New York City amongst residents with limited English proficiency are:
- Spanish
- Chinese (includes Cantonese, Mandarin, and Formosan)
- Russian
- Bengali
- French Créole (also called Haitian Créole)
- Korean
- Arabic[3]
Audit Findings
The audit found that NYCEM generally complies with Local Law 25. NYCEM’s website, found at http://www1.nyc.gov/site/em/index.page, includes a translation feature for viewing text and essential information in various languages, including the above-noted top seven languages. NYCEM’s website also provides important information regarding its functions and services, which includes but are not limited to information pertaining to NYCEM’s various divisions, office locations, contact information, evacuation procedures, how to volunteer during a disaster, how to become a certified emergency responder, news updates and guides related to emergency preparedness and awareness. All information can be translated and viewed in each of the top seven noted languages.
According to NYCEM’s Language Access Plan August 2015 and Draft Language Access Plan 2018, NYCEM’s most frequently requested documents can be translated and downloaded in 13 languages that have been identified as the most requested (Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Créole, Korean, Arabic, French, Italian, Polish, Urdu and Yiddish).[4] We reviewed and successfully translated the following documents into NYCEM’s 13 most requested languages:
- Emergency Preparedness
- Ready New York Guide
- Preparedness Tips
- My Emergency Plan
- My Pet’s Emergency Plan
- Kids Guide
- Choice Your Own Path to Preparedness
- Hurricanes and New York City
- Reduce Your Risk
NYCEM’s Language Access Plans address the need for language assistance by supporting other City agencies during an emergency. In particular, during an emergency NYCEM works to make sure that the City agencies involved in the emergency response provide unified, accurate and timely messages to the public. This is done throughout the City via different media outlets (e.g., television, radio and). In addition, NYCEM provides information to various City agencies through the agencies’ service centers, community centers, the Ad Council and emergency preparedness material guides that are distributed in various locations.
Audit Recommendations
The audit recommended that NYCEM continue to maintain its compliance with Local Law 25 to ensure it effectively meets the needs of residents with limited English proficiency when accessing city services online.
Agency Response
In its response, NYCEM agreed with the report’s findings and recommendation and stated that “We agree with your findings and recommendation to continue to maintain compliance with Local Law 25. NYC Emergency Management strives to provide emergency preparedness information online, and through its written guides, in the 12 most commonly spoken languages in New York City in addition to English, and to make its information accessible to people with limited English proficiency.”
[1] NYC Department of City Planning (DCP), New York City Population, http://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/data-maps/nyc-population/current-future-populations.page downloaded May 29, 2018; DCP, NYC’s Foreign-born, 2000 to 2015, March 2017, https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/about/dcp-priorities/data-expertise/nyc-foreign-born-info-brief.pdf?r=2, downloaded April 12, 2017; DCP, Limited English Proficient Population, https://www1.nyc.gov/site/planning/about/language-access.page, downloaded April 12, 2017.
[2] DCP, Limited English Proficient Population, op. cit.; see also DCP, Top Languages Spoken at Home by Limited English Proficiency (LEP), Universe: Population 5 Years and Over, February 2017, citing the U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata 1-Year Sample. The U.S. Census Bureau also reported that more than 75 percent of New York State’s foreign-born population aged five and older spoke a language other than English at home and that more than 46 percent spoke English “less than very well.” See: English-Speaking Ability of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2012, American Community Survey Reports, June 2014, page 4.
[3] According to the DCP report, issued in March 2016, entitled Top Languages Spoken at Home by Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Universe: Population 5 Years and Over.
[4] City agencies determine which documents are key, essential, frequently used and translated on City websites in the top languages for its business purposes.