California EDD Upgrades Website Translation: Unemployment, Disability and Paid Family Leave Information Now in 14 Languages
The California Employment Development Department (EDD), based in Sacramento, California, announced on November 12 that it has upgraded translation on its website, with information on unemployment insurance, disability insurance and Paid Family Leave now available in 14 languages covering more than 90 percent of the languages spoken at home by Californians who speak a language other than English.
The 14 languages are Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Korean, Armenian, Arabic, Farsi, Punjabi, Russian, Japanese, Hindi, Mon-Khmer (Cambodian) and Thai. EDD said the new approach combines Google Cloud translation technology with human expertise, using the department's customized multilingual glossary of program names and technical terms, with ongoing quality checks by its Language Access Office to keep complex benefits information accurate and consistent.
Molly Vue, EDD's Language Access Officer, said that for a department of EDD's size, improving language access requires thinking about how to do it consistently and at scale, and that the work gives the department a stronger foundation to keep improving how Californians access and understand EDD information.
The upgrade is part of EDD's broader modernization effort: its website chatbot now answers questions around the clock in eight languages, unemployment benefits can be applied for online in eight languages, customers can reach a live agent through myEDD with real-time translation, voicemails can be transcribed and translated in more than 100 languages within minutes with processing time cut by 40 to 50 percent, and video remote interpreting is offered for Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers.
EDD said the technology provides a foundation for future expansion to more than 100 languages, and that free language assistance and interpretation services remain available to Californians who speak other languages.
(Source: California Employment Development Department)
Source: California Employment Development Department
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加州就业发展局（EDD）总部大楼，位于 Sacramento 的 722 Capitol Mall。照片：Coolcaesar，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。 / Photo: Headquarters of the California Employment Development Department (EDD) at 722 Capitol Mall in Sacramento. Photo: Coolcaesar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
