ALBANY (AP) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo is ordering that state services be offered and explained in six major non-English languages.
The executive order being announced Wednesday is aimed at 2.5 million New Yorkers considered to have limited proficiency in English.
State agencies across New York are now equipped to provide free interpretation in Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Italian, Korean and Haitian Creole.
The U.S. Census reports that immigrants constitute 27 percent of the work force and a language other than English is spoken in 30 percent of New York homes, most of them in New York City.
Immigrants account for more than a third of New York City's population and almost half the workforce.
“New York State government needs to be able to serve all of its residents no matter what language they speak,” said Cuomo in a media release. “Today our agencies are ready to provide assistance in the foreign languages that are spoken by most non-English speakers in our state. With the implementation of this executive order I am proud to say we are making state government truly work for the many diverse cultures and communities that have made their home in New York.”
The executive order requires that additional languages be considered every two years.
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