CalMatters

February 3, 2019

By Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar

California’s courts serve a state with nearly 40 million people, whose daily lives trigger disputes about matters ranging from child custody to housing to digital privacy. But ensuring that all people in the state can protect their rights and interests by accessing the courts means we must contend with California’s enormous—indeed, almost unique—linguistic diversity.

On any given day, in courthouses throughout the state, members of the public fluent in dozens of languages—yet lacking fluency in English—show up in court. In California—home to the most linguistically diverse population in the nation—the challenge has been formidable.

https://calmatters.org/articles/commentary/my-turn-how-to-ensure-equal-access-to-the-law-when-we-speak-200-different-languages/