What is "LEP"?
Ashley Briggs February 22 2012 09:36:21 AM
For years, the term "LEP" has been known mainly to those in the language services industry. With the ever-growing population of immigrants in the United States, as well as an increased focus by the Federal and State governments to provide services to these important new communities (as well as businesses that are either looking to hire from this population segment or market their products and services to them), "LEP" is popping up more and more frequently.
What exactly does "LEP" mean? In the language community, the term "LEP" stands for "Limited English Proficient". LEP individuals are people who do not speak English as their primary language, and have a limited ability to speak, read, write or understand English. The LEP population in the United States represents a variety of languages, categorized across four major language groups according the U.S. Census Bureau: Spanish (which includes Spanish, Spanish Creole, and Ladino), Indo-European languages (French, German, Russian, etc.), Asian and Pacific Island languages (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, etc.), and all other languages (Uralic, Semitic, African, native North, Central and South American). The English-speaking ability of each of these language groups varies greatly as do the levels of English-speaking ability vary across the United States.
LEP individuals may be entitled to language assistance for certain types of services and programs. Issued in 2000, Executive Order 13166 ("Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency") requires federal agencies to review the services they provide, determine any needs for those services with limited English proficiency, and develop and execute a system so that LEP individuals can have access to their services. It is important that these government agencies know and understand what the LEP community is so that these individuals can have the same access to important services, such as healthcare, legal aid, HR support and education, as any English-speaking person would. By ensuring equal access for all individuals to these essential services, we can further embrace the diversity and preserve the unique linguistic cultures of the LEP community within the U.S.
- Comments [58]