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DCWP's language capabilities and monitoring of fraud in different languages

1:07:30

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Council Member Avilés inquires about DCWP's ability to monitor immigration services fraud targeting New Yorkers in different languages. DCWP representatives explain their language capabilities and approach to multilingual monitoring and outreach.

DCWP has an outreach team with staff speaking eight different languages for education and community connections
Inspectors may observe and report issues in languages other than English during field work
The agency uses language line services when needed for languages not spoken by staff
DCWP conducts research ahead of proactive investigations, which covers multiple languages

Alexa Avilés

1:07:30

How does DCWP monitor immigration services fraud targeting New Yorkers in different languages?

1:07:39

I guess you mentioned Commissioner earlier that you have staff that speak eight different languages.

1:07:46

So across this very vast city, how are those I suspect it falls to those eight inspectors to kind of manage what is coming in in various languages.

Vilda Vera Mayuga

1:08:00

So these are actually not inspectors.

1:08:02

The eight that I was referring to are from our outreach team in terms of the education that we provide to be able to make those connections in the language that people feel most comfortable having conversations.

1:08:12

And it obviously builds the trust.

1:08:14

In terms of monitoring in various languages, I don't think we have that data.

1:08:19

But I will say inspectors going out and doing their patrols and things like that, if they observe something not using just English but a language that they may speak, because we do have a number of capabilities also related to languages other than English in our inspection team, they will know those as well.

1:08:40

So it'll be part of the work that they're doing on the field.

1:08:44

Or we would have done it they might have a list of places because we would have done the research ahead of sending them out to do proactive investigations as well.

1:08:53

And that's gonna cover a number of languages also.

Alexa Avilés

1:08:56

Got it.

1:08:56

So is the agency able to follow-up in language of whatever language is incoming?

Vilda Vera Mayuga

1:09:04

Yes, yes.

1:09:04

If it's not that somebody already speaks it, then we're very comfortable using language line.

Carlos Ortiz

1:09:09

I seem to remember from our budget hearing at least we no, it's so we have about 400 active head count.

1:09:17

About half of those folks speak a language other than English and I think in total it covers close to 40 languages if I'm not mistaken.

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