Public Health in the Rockies 2026

Background/Purpose: Language Justice is the principle that all people have the right to communicate, understand, and be understood in their preferred language and that all languages should be valued equally. Within public health and environmental settings, effective language services are essential to equitable community engagement and meaningful participation in decision-making processes. At the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, particularly within the Office of Environmental Justice, staff have identified a growing need for culturally competent translation and interpretation practices that build trust and improve accessibility while navigating operational and funding constraints.

Methods: This session will present practices and lessons learned from implementing language access strategies within public health and environmental justice work. Presenters will discuss approaches used to improve translation consistency and quality, including shared glossaries, coordination with external vendors, and review processes that prioritize cultural and contextual appropriateness. The session will also examine interpretation practices such as advanced interpreter preparation, sharing technical materials before meetings, and supporting interpreters with subject matter context. Presenters will additionally discuss emerging technologies, including AI-assisted translation tools, and their appropriate role within language justice efforts.

Results: These practices have improved consistency across multilingual communications, strengthened interpreter preparedness, and supported more meaningful community participation in public health and environmental discussions. Presenters have also identified persistent implementation barriers, including limited funding, staffing capacity, and organizational misconceptions that language access can be fully replaced by automated tools.

Implications: Participants will leave with practical strategies for strengthening language services within their own organizations while critically assessing the opportunities and limitations of AI and other technologies in language access work. The additional 30 minutes requested for this session will allow for facilitated audience discussion, small-group reflection activities, and peer-to-peer sharing on implementation challenges and best practices in support of the conference theme, “Stronger Together.”