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Developed
by Tawara D. Goode and Wendy Jones, 8/00, Revised 8/03, 11/04.
Definitions
of linguistic competence vary considerably. Such definitions
have evolved from diverse perspectives, interests and needs
and are
incorporated into state legislation, Federal statutes and programs,
private sector organizations and academic settings. The following
definition, developed by the National Center for Cultural Competence,
provides a foundation for determining linguistic competence in
health care, mental health and other human service delivery systems.
It
encompasses a broad spectrum of constituency groups that could
require language assistance or other supports from an organization,
agency,
or provider.
Linguistic
competence
The capacity
of an organization and its personnel to communicate effectively,
and convey information in a manner
that is easily
understood by diverse audiences including persons of limited
English proficiency,
those who have low literacy skills or are not literate, and
individuals with disabilities. Linguistic competency requires
organizational
and provider capacity to respond effectively to the health
literacy needs of populations served. The organization must
have policy,
structures, practices, procedures, and dedicated resources
to support this capacity.
This may include, but is not limited to, the use of:
- Bilingual/bicultural
or multilingual/multicultural staff
- Cultural
brokers
- Foreign
language interpretation services including distance technologies
- Sign language
interpretation services
- Multilingual
telecommunication systems
- TTY
- Assistive
technology devices
- Computer
assisted real time translation (CART) or viable real time transcriptions
(VRT)
- Print materials
in easy to read, low literacy, picture and symbol formats
- Materials
in alternative formats (e.g., audiotape, Braille, enlarged
print )
- Varied approaches
to share information with individuals who experience cognitive
disabilities
- Materials
developed and tested for specific cultural, ethnic and linguistic
groups
- Translation
services including those of:
- Legally
binding documents (e.g., consent forms, confidentiality and
patient rights statements,
release of information,
applications)
- Signage
- Health education
materials
- Public
awareness materials and campaigns
- Ethnic media
in languages other than English (e.g., television, radio, Internet,
newspapers, periodicals)
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