PROJECT BRIEF

BACKGROUND 

Los Angeles’s growing and diverse Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) older-adult population faces persistent language barriers that can make essential City and community services difficult to navigate. While multilingual resources and language-access programs exist, they are often fragmented across City departments and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs). These gaps are compounded by limited digital literacy and organizational capacity, creating a need for a more coordinated, culturally responsive approach to language access. 

AIMS 

This project seeks to strengthen language access for AAPI older adults in Los Angeles by (1) improving access to multilingual services and information, (2) strengthening coordination and resource-sharing between the City and CBOs, and (3) identifying practical, culturally responsive technology solutions that can be sustainably implemented. 

METHODOLOGY 

The team first conducted a literature review, analyzing three areas: (1) language-access barriers experienced by AAPI older adults, (2) language-access policies and practices in other cities, and (3) current language-access technologies and their limitations. The team conducted 11 interviews with CBOs, nonprofits, and the Los Angeles City Council representatives to understand the experiences of AAPI older adults and LEP residents with language-access services and technology. These findings informed recommendations to the Council for strengthening language access and allocating funding in this area. 

DELIVERABLES 

The team developed a Language Access Technology Toolkit with recommendations focused on: (1) a searchable Language Access Database connecting multilingual City resources and CBO services; (2) a Linguistic Asset Repository of human-vetted translations, terminology, and cultural-context guidance to improve translation consistency and support AI-assisted tools; (3) Language Access Excellence Awards pilot program to incentivize sustained CBO participation; and (4) multilingual public-awareness and digital-literacy initiatives to help older and LEP adults locate and use available services. 

IMPACT AND FUTURE WORK 

This project provides the City of Los Angeles with an actionable framework for strengthening language-access for AAPI older adults through coordination, shared resources, and culturally responsive technology. Future work should be focused on piloting the tools with CBOs, evaluating their effectiveness, and expanding successful approaches across City departments and language communities.