NYS agencies must make forms multilingual

New York State agencies will begin providing free translations and translators for many non-English speakers under an executive order issued by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Thursday.

The order is designed to make accessing vital government services easier for some of the 2.5 million New Yorkers who have a limited ability to speak and understand English.

"Government has to make sure it can communicate with the people," Cuomo said at a news conference in Albany.

The order requires vital forms and instructions be translated into the six most prevalent non-English languages in the state.

According to U.S. Census data, those languages are Spanish, Chinese, Italian, Russian, French and French Creole.

The initiative will cost the state $1.5 million annually but won't require new hires, Cuomo said.

The state also has an existing contract with a company that provides translations. Agencies will begin implementing the service on a rolling basis and must be fully compliant within a year.