Rural communities struggle to find ways to communicate with growing non-native English-speaking population

Despite the ongoing growth of non-native English-speaking populations in rural communities, people in many counties and towns have failed to find effective ways to communicate with residents still learning English. The small town of Elko, Nevada, serves as an example. The town's "Hispanic or Latino population has grown to about 26%," reports Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez of KFF Health News. "The share of people age 5 or older who speak a language other than English at home increased to 18% as of 2022, while Spanish is the language spoken in nearly 15% of households."

With Elko's number of non-native English-speaking residents, the area needs translation support to ensure all residents understand vital information. Unfortunately, "state lawmakers in Nevada left out smaller counties from a recently enacted statewide language-access law," Rodriguez writes. "Not providing language access to people who need it is not only a violation of civil rights protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, but it also can create public health and safety concerns said Jake Hofstetter, a policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, a think tank focused on immigration policy and research."

While much of rural America is white and English-speaking, its population has diversified, leaving smaller communities struggling to adapt to residents who aren't proficient in English. Rodriguez explains, "Implementing state and local language-access laws, however, is a challenge, researchers say, given standards can vary across state agencies and localities, making it difficult to ensure high-quality assistance is provided to speakers of various non-English languages."

The language-access challenges rural communities now face will continue to grow. "The number of white residents in rural parts of the nation decreased by about 2 million from 2010 to 2020, according to an analysis by the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire," Rodriguez reports. "And the percentage of people who are members of a racial or ethnic minority living in rural areas increased from 20% in 2010 to 24% in 2020, with the largest share being Hispanic."

Language access services in metro and urban settings have grown; however, "Hofstetter said he doesn’t see many local policies that focus on the issue in rural areas," Rodriguez writes. "People living in rural areas may still benefit from a patchwork of resources through state agencies that provide services in their counties or local programs required to address language access because of federal funding."

Nonetheless, language barriers put non-native English speakers at a disadvantage. Rodriquez adds, "The degree to which local governments offer communications in languages other than English varies for several reasons, including enforcement of civil rights protections. That enforcement relies on civil rights complaints, which often must be filed by residents who may not know their rights related to language access."