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Language Access

By law, individuals seeking services from the State of Illinois have the right to free translation and interpretation services in their language of choice. Having trouble accessing interpretation and translation services? See agency complaint processes HERE.

Signed in August of 2024, the Language Equity and Access Act charges the Governor’s Office of New Americans with coordinating state activities related to language access, including supporting all executive agencies, departments, boards, commissions, or authorities directly responsible to the Governor with developing and implementing Language Access Plans.

According to census data, more than 2.8 million Illinoisians, or 1 in 4, speak a language other than English. Of these individuals 1.8 million speak English “very well,” while 1,030,616, or 9% of all Illinoisians speak English “less than very well,” or are Limited-English Proficient (LEP) individuals. See more information about the LEP population in Illinois below:

  • Illinois Language Dashboard: Explore county- and state-level language data for Illinois from the U.S. Census. Data reflects the 2018-2022 reporting period.
  • Language Needs Assessment Report (Interactive Web Page): Learn from a deep dive into available U.S. Census data on language need in Illinois. Language need is broken down by township, municipalities, demographic groups, and more.
    • View as a PDF HERE