The USCCR Report and the Quiet Reset of Federal Language Access
On May 18, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights transmitted a 214-page report to the President and Congress that, for the first time in any federal agency’s history, treats meaningful language access not as a service amenity but as a question of equal protection under the law. A Report That Cleared the Partisan Bar Before It Reached […]
The Science Catching Up to What Trauma-Informed Interpreters Have Always Known
New neuroimaging and immune research is beginning to show, in biological terms, why exposure to others’ suffering can matter. For professional interpreters working in healthcare, courts, government, schools, survivor services, and asylum settings, that matters. It adds scientific weight to concerns the profession has documented for years. What the New Research Shows A 2026 bioRxiv […]
EO 14224 Didn’t Change Your Title VI Obligations. Here’s What to Verify.
If someone in your organization has raised the question of whether Executive Order 14224 loosened your Title VI obligations, the answer is no. EO 14224 designates English as the official language of the United States and revokes Executive Order 13166, which since 2000 had directed federal agencies and funding recipients to improve access for people […]
Project Update | Mayan Languages Preservation & Digitization Project
It’s National Volunteer Week in the US and a perfect time to reflect on the work of a community project supported by MasterWord that is having an outsized impact on the world. From Ambitious Vision to Measurable Impact Across the globe, 40 percent of people lack reliable language access, including 7 million speakers of Mayan […]
Celebrating World Mental Health Day and MasterWord’s Commitment to Wellness
World Mental Health Day, observed on October 10 each year, is a powerful reminder of the importance of mental health awareness and support. Interpreters face unique challenges, with 72.6% reporting experiences of vicarious trauma, according to a 2019 Nimdzi survey. The impact is profound—one in three interpreters has had to either leave the profession, take […]
Breaking Down Accessibility: Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (U.S.) vs the Accessible Canada Act
There are 42.5 million US adults and another 6.2 million Canadians living with a disability. Many of these individuals suffer from visual, auditory, cognitive, and mobility impairments, and so directly benefit from standards for digital accessibility guaranteed by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act in the U.S. and Canada’s Accessible Canada Act. But how do […]