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I_LAAB_2024A 11/12/2024 09:12:58 AM Committee Summary

PUBLIC
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING
INTERIM COMMITTEE  LANGUAGE ACCESS ADVISORY BOARD
Date 11/12/2024
Attendance
Bradfield X
Giovanna Carriero-Contreras X
Natalie Castle *
Christy Chase *
Lindsay X
Felix Lopez E
Rich X
Ivon Romo X
Rudy Santos X
Jose Torres X
Gonzales X
Rutinel X
Time 09:12:58 AM to 03:07:56 PM
Place SCR 357
This Meeting was called to order by Rutinel
This Report was prepared by Rachel Kurtz-Phelan
Hearing Items Action Taken
Language Access for Elections in Colorado Committee Discussion Only
Product Demonstration: wordly.ai Committee Discussion Only
Key Features of US State and Local Language Access Laws and Policies Committee Discussion Only
AI in Translation and Interpretation Committee Discussion Only
Consideration of Recommendations Committee Discussion Only

Language Access for Elections in Colorado - Committee Discussion Only


09:14:35 AM  

Chair Rutinel called Hilary Rudy, Deputy Director of Elections, Colorado Department of State, to begin her presentation. She begain by telling the board how election materials are translated into different languages, explaining that it varies by county and that some counties are covered by Section 203 of the federal Voting Rights Act (Section 203). She stated that most of her office's elections materials are translated by staff members who are fluent in both English and Spanish.



She told board members that currently, only written materials in many counties are translated into Spanish but that counties covered by Section 203 have both online and written materials provided in Spanish.



She explained that there is a language hotline that voters can call for translated ballot information in any language and provided data on the number of calls made to the hotline during previous elections.




She talked about design principles for readability for bilingual ballots and answered questions from the board members.

09:22:45 AM  
Ms. Rudy stated that
American Community Survey five-year estimates for languages spoken at home
can change which counties must provide bilingual ballots to registered
voters, and that Pueblo County is approaching the threshold for Spanish
language ballots.



Ms. Rudy answered questions from the committee about whether the Secretary
of State's office uses a technology platform that automatically translates
materials into a variety of different languages. She explained that counties
are required to post signs in polling locations with information about
the language hotline.



Product Demonstration: wordly.ai - Committee Discussion Only


09:31:05 AM  

Kirk Hendrickson, Chief Operating Officer, Wordly AI, introduced himself and his company, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide simultaneous interpretation services in real time, from one language into many. His presentation can be found as Attachment A. He explained that the platform is currently able to translate into 60 different languages using a display in a shared virtual environment or on personal devices via a QR code. He provided a demonstration of the platform and reviewed certain challenges faces by Colorado in particular, including being a diverse state with a large Spanish speaking population, which requires a consistent solution leveraging technology to make legislative hearings language accessible.



He stated that Wordly AI not only provides written simultaneous translation, but also oral simultaneous interpretation, and is being used by many cities, counties, and school districts throughout the country for public meetings.



Mr. Hendrickson answered questions. He said that meeting attendees never have to pay to use the platform since the "host" organization pays for the services. He reviewed the range of costs to use the service, which is based on the number of hours used and the number of languages being translated into. For example, 10 hours of translation to only Spanish would cost $75 per hour while 10 hours of translation into all offered languages would cost $150 per hour. He stated that the more hours used the less expensive the service costs per hour.



He told the board about the three measures to consider when comparing an AI system to an acutal human interpretor: comprehensiveness, accuracy, and fluency. He explained that AI translates every word it encounters while a human interpretor does more summarizing so it is a bit less comprehensive. He said that in terms of accuracy, AI tends to be about the same as a human interpreter, and a human interpreter is generally more fluent when compared to AI.

09:50:04 AM  

Mr. Hendrickson answered questions about how Wordly AI continues to grow by adding additional dialects, accents, and colloquialisms. He explained that a host is billed based on how long the platform is actually running during a meeting and not on the number of attendees who are in the meeting using the service.



He stated that other languages aside from English can be translated in other non-English languages. So for example, a statement provided in Spanish during a meeting can simultaneously be translated into Korean and French during the meeting. Transcripts can also be provided for any of the languages used by the platform.




Mr. Hendrickson answered questions about who is liable if there is an incorrect translation or interpretation, and about the difficulties with interpreting when someone speaks with an uncommon accent or speech impediment.



Key Features of US State and Local Language Access Laws and Policies - Committee Discussion Only


10:06:22 AM  
Jacob Hofstetter,
Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute (MPI), began his presentation
titled State Language Access policies: Key Considerations and Scan of Efforts
in State Legislatures. The presentation can be found as Attachment B. He
explained that MPI focuses on migrant integration in states and localities
and studies how the federal government is expanding language access policies
and requirements.



Mr. Hofstetter spoke about his research on issues related to language access
and how states and localities implement language access measures. He discussed
agency responsibilities and policy administration, including developing
the infrastructure to provide language access and accountability measures.



He reviewed key considerations for designing and implementing language
access measures, such as: public touchpoints; existing efforts and their
scalability; the nature and extent of the need for language assistance;
and the resources and capacity available to support new or existing measures.




Additional considerations he discussed for providing language assistance
include: interpreting for both in person and remote meetings; translating
online materials; balancing the efficiency and accessability of AI with
the accuracy of AI; and providing public notice of services.
10:16:47 AM  

He summarized the results of his review of language access in Colorado's peer states, which include Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Minnesota. The key takeaways from this review are that only Oregon has a dedicated office to provide language access; the onus is generally on individuals themselves to request language access services; the majority of state and agency websites offer translation via Google Translate; and language access efforts require coordination, scheduling, and contracts.



Mr. Hofstetter answered questions about the benefits and use of AI. He said it holds promise but it also has limitations, that discussed the importance of having AI translated materials reviewed by a human. He stated that it is more important to provide accurate information, even if it is slower, than provide faster information that is less accurate.



AI in Translation and Interpretation - Committee Discussion Only


10:23:36 AM  
Matthew Scherer,
Senior Policy Counsel, Center for Democracy and Technology, began his presentation
on AI in translation and interpretation.



He explained that AI captioning can be inaccurate, especially when translating
or interpreting speech from a person with a disability, speech impediment,
unusual accent or dialect, or a different way of speaking.



He expressed his opinion that AI will greatly improve in the areas of translating
and interpreting in the coming years, and reviewed some areas of AI that
are already very beneficial and accurate, especially when considering the
interplay between human reliability and AI reliability in different areas.
10:32:46 AM  
Mr. Scherer answered
questions from the board regarding challenges in remedying errors by AI
when trying to replace human capabilities, specificallly in regards to
speech impediments or accents. He said that many AI translation and interpretation
companies are start up companies and cannot afford to spend much money
on debugging or customer service for troubleshooting.



The board discussed the need to balance AI that improves people's lives
with the need to still have human involvement.



Consideration of Recommendations - Committee Discussion Only


10:46:05 AM  

Chair Rutinel read into the record the charge statement for the committee, which is: "On or before December 15, 2024, the advisory board shall submit a report to the Executive Committee of the Legislative Council that includes a summary of the work accomplished by the advisory board, the findings of the study, and any legislative recommendations to the General Assembly concerning matters studies by the advisory board."

 

10:48:32 AM  

Chair Rutinel requested that members make comments on which recommendations they feel should be included in the final report and which do not rise to the level of being included.



The members discussed the need for data analysis or a needs assessment to determine when and how peole use legislative services the most and where the largest gaps in language access exist. They talked about having a new board established to continue the work of the LAAB going forward to ensure that the recommendations of the LAAB are followed through on and implemented.

 

11:03:42 AM  

The members discussed including a recommendation for a community-led or stakeholder-led group that continues to meet to and conduct focus groups and community tours to better understand where the gaps exist and what the community continues to need.



The members talked about how to implement certain recommendations such as the use of the LanguageLine and Wordly AI, and the need to have some sort of notice requirement for requesting interpretation services, how to use AI more appropriately and accurately, and the need to make sure that signs in polling places about voting information in other languages are visible.

11:39:09 AM  

The board discussed what types of guarantees a human interpreter or translator would provide in terms of accuracy, and agreed that since there are currently no real regulations around this profession, one of the recommendations in the final report might be that DORA start regulating interpretors and translators. They spoke about the need to make sure to use AI in a safe, reliable, and approachable way that involves some sort of review for mistakes and inconsistencies.



Some members agreed that if the General Assembly had a language access office or person, that person would be able to assess the demands of different language access needs and determine available services within financial constraints. They discussed the trade off between accessibility and accuracy, and whether it is more important to provide more and wider language access (which would mean utlitizing AI) or more important to ensure accuracy (which would be using humans).

 

11:57:12 AM  
The committee took a brief recess.
12:02:18 PM  

The board members took a lunch break.

12:51:54 PM  
The committee came
back to order. Chair Rutinel reviewed the process by which the board would
vote on which recommendations to include in the final report.
01:00:09 PM  

Chair Rutinel read out loud the following draft motion: "The Language Access Advisory Board recommends that our report reflect the valuable input received from grassroots organizations over recent meetings, documenting their identified language-related barriers and accessibility needs. We further recommend an analysis of practices shared by other states, detailing available services and indicating whether Colorado currently provides comparable support. To build on this foundation, the Board endorses a comprehensive and sustainable needs assessment, prioritizing feedback from Limited English Proficiency (LEP) communities, stakeholders, language access experts, and data analytics. This assessment should identify high-impact areas for accessibility improvements, explore cost-effective options like automation and translation tools, and incorporate a phased, scalable approach to allow growth as resources expand. Additionally, public engagement—through focus groups, town halls, and multilingual surveys—should gather community insights, while consideration of training and licensing standards will ensure quality in translation and interpretation services. This approach will provide a robust structure for continuous improvement in language access across Colorado’s legislative processes."

01:00:58 PM  

The board members made comments on the draft motion. They discussed changing the word "licensing" to "credentials" or "licensing standards" and whether to recommend that the Executive Committee pursue an RFP for language services.



01:36:00 PM
Motion The Language Access Advisory board recommends that our report reflect the valuable input received from grassroots organizations over recent meetings documenting their identified language-related barriers and accessibility needs.
Moved Rutinel
Seconded Rudy Santos
Bradfield
Giovanna Carriero-Contreras
Natalie Castle
Christy Chase
Lindsay
Felix Lopez
Rich
Ivon Romo
Rudy Santos
Jose Torres
Gonzales
Rutinel
YES: 0   NO: 0   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  Pass Without Objection


01:37:33 PM
Motion The board recommends an assessment of language access needs in the legislative process in a manner determined by the Executive Committee. This assessment should prioritize feedback from limited English proficiency communities, stakeholders, language experts, and data analytics. This assessment should identify high impact areas for accessibility improvement, explore cost effective options like automation and translation tools, and incorporate a phased and scalable approach to allow growth as resources expand. The assessment should include an analysis of practices shared by other states, detailing available services, and indicating whether Colorado currently provides comparable support. This assessment should include public engagement through focus groups, town halls, and multilingual surveys to gather community insights. This approach will provide a robust structure for continuous improvement in language access across Colorado's legislative processes.
Moved Rutinel
Seconded Jose Torres
Bradfield
Giovanna Carriero-Contreras
Natalie Castle
Christy Chase
Lindsay
Felix Lopez
Rich
Ivon Romo
Rudy Santos
Jose Torres
Gonzales
Rutinel
YES: 0   NO: 0   EXC: 0   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  Pass Without Objection
01:38:05 PM  
Chair Rutinel read
out loud the next proposed motion: "The Language Access Advisory Board
recommends that the General Assembly (GA) develop a comprehensive Language
Access Plan (LAP). This LAP should begin with a needs assessment using
tools like the DOJ’s self-assessment, gathering input from LEP communities
to identify priority languages and accessibility needs. The LAP should
establish a centralized Language Access office or responsible staff member
to coordinate services across agencies, allowing each to tailor plans to
their specific roles and needs. Key components should include identifying
widely spoken languages in Colorado, prioritizing translation of essential
legislative documents, and ensuring compliance with ADA and Title VI by
providing interpretation services, including sign language, for public
and legislative sessions. Additionally, the LAP should be scalable, expanding
services based on community demand and available resources, and should
include regular assessments of language needs using census and other demographic
data. This plan will create a more inclusive and accessible legislative
process for all Coloradans."
01:40:36 PM  
The board discussed
and made changes to the motion on the table regarding the development of
a Language Access Plan.


02:10:13 PM
Motion The board recommends that the GA develop a comprehensive Language Access Plan (LAP) based on a needs assessment and any other relevant information or analysis. The LAP should include a plan for implementation, which may establish a centralized language access office, or identify a responsible staff, to coordinate services across legislative agencies, allowing each to tailor plans to their specific roles and needs. Key plan components should include identifying widely spoken languages in Colorado, prioritizing translation of essential legislative documents, and ensuring compliance with ADA and Title VI by providing interpreting and translation services, including sign language, for public and legislative sessions. Additionally, the LAP should be scalable, expanding services based on community demand and available resources and it should include regular assessment of language needs using census and other demographic data. This plan will create a more inclusive and accessible legislative process for all Coloradans.
Moved Rutinel
Seconded Gonzales
Bradfield No
Giovanna Carriero-Contreras Yes
Natalie Castle Excused
Christy Chase Excused
Lindsay Yes
Felix Lopez Excused
Rich No
Ivon Romo Yes
Rudy Santos No
Jose Torres Excused
Gonzales Yes
Rutinel Yes
YES: 5   NO: 3   EXC: 4   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  PASS
02:10:15 PM  
The board members
discussed implementing a timeline for the needs assessment and Language
Access Plan development.
02:14:27 PM  
Chair Rutinel read
out loud the next draft motion: "The Language Access Advisory Board
recommends that the legislature provide oral interpretation services for
key meetings with high public impact, prioritizing simultaneous Spanish
interpretation for formal sessions, committee hearings, and major announcements.
Interpretation for other common languages should be available upon request,
with a clear process for advance scheduling. For cost efficiency and flexibility,
the legislature should leverage a combination of in-person, remote, and
automated interpretation options as appropriate. To meet quality standards,
interpreters should be vetted for legislative-specific expertise, and rooms
should be equipped with necessary interpretation technology, including
headsets and online dual-track options for remote access. This approach
will ensure accessibility, flexibility, and efficient resource use in legislative
interpretation services."
02:32:09 PM  
The board discussed changes to the proposed motion.
02:45:07 PM  

Chair Rutinel read the next draft motion to be discussed: "The Language Access Advisory Board recommends that the ballot information booklet (“blue book”) be made more accessible to residents with limited English proficiency by expanding both distribution and translation options. First, the legislature should continue automatic distribution of bilingual (English-Spanish) blue books to all Voting Rights Act (VRA) counties. For other counties, access to bilingual blue books should be available upon request through accessible options like a QR code, a request postcard within the English-only blue book, a hotline, or an online form.



Spanish should remain the priority language for translation, but we recommend exploring translations into additional languages based on demonstrated community demand. Additionally, the legislature should consider a robust online option to access translated versions of the blue book on demand, which could supplement print distribution and help manage costs. This strategy will ensure that vital voter information reaches all communities equitably while allowing for flexible, cost-effective solutions."

02:47:11 PM  
The board discussed
making changes to the draft motion regarding translation for the Blue Book.
Julia Jackson, Legislative Council Staff, made comments.



02:56:18 PM
Motion The board recommend that the ballot information booklet ("Blue Book") be made more accessible to residents with limited English proficiency by expanding both distribution and translation options. first, the legislature should continue automatic distribution of bilingual English Spanish Blue Books to all Voting Rights Act counties. For other counties, access to bilingual Blue Books should be available upon request through accessible options like a QR code, a request postcard within the English-only Blue Book, a hotline, or an online form. Additionally, the legislature should consider a robust online option to access translated versions of the Blue Book on demand which could supplement print distribution and help manage costs. This strategy will ensure that vital voter information reaches all communities equitably while allowing for flexible, cost-effective solutions.
Moved Rutinel
Seconded Rudy Santos
Bradfield
Giovanna Carriero-Contreras
Natalie Castle Excused
Christy Chase Excused
Lindsay
Felix Lopez Excused
Rich
Ivon Romo
Rudy Santos
Jose Torres
Gonzales
Rutinel
YES: 0   NO: 0   EXC: 3   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  Pass Without Objection
03:04:21 PM  
The board discussed
how to move forward with a recommendation to develop a path for regulating
or credentialing interpreters and translators.


03:07:13 PM
Motion I move that Ms. Carriero-Contreras work with LCS staff to draft language to be included in the report.
Moved Gonzales
Seconded Rutinel
Bradfield
Giovanna Carriero-Contreras
Natalie Castle Excused
Christy Chase Excused
Lindsay
Felix Lopez Excused
Rich
Ivon Romo
Rudy Santos
Jose Torres
Gonzales
Rutinel
YES: 0   NO: 0   EXC: 3   ABS:  0   FINAL ACTION:  Pass Without Objection


03:07:56 PM   The committee adjourned.






The effective date for bills enacted without a safety clause is August 6, 2025, if the General Assembly adjourns sine die on May 7, 2025 (unless otherwise specified). Details