Getting ready to build a new house or start a major renovation is daunting enough, but one seemingly small part of the process can make it even more difficult for citizens.
Language shouldn’t be a barrier to access, but that’s exactly what can happen when residents need to apply for permits or licenses with a system that can’t work in their preferred tongue.
Many communities across the country are becoming more diverse, and it’s clear that the rise of non-English speakers will only continue in the years to come. That’s why more towns and cities are realizing it’s time to adopt bilingual municipal software that works for everyone.
Citizen platforms for online building permitting and other critical services that can work in English or Spanish grant access to everyone in the community — helping development move forward without delays or the need for additional help from government staff.
How Language Barriers Limit Access to Essential Services
Language gaps all too often create additional challenges for residents who are trying to follow local regulations as they apply for permits and licenses or respond to enforcement notices.
The real-world consequences can add up in a hurry:
- Missed deadlines
- Lower rates of compliance
- Lack of participation in local government processes
The numbers show just how many people can be affected when local government services don’t speak the same language.
The number of Americans who speak a language other than English at home tripled since 1980, rising from 23.1 million to 67.8 million in 2019, and continues to grow. That means more than 1 in 5 people now speak something other than English, primarily Spanish.
This language barrier can make it impossible for municipalities to achieve true accessibility and equity for all of their citizens, leading to confusion, problems, and dissatisfied people who are trying their best to follow the rules.
Today’s local governments have the responsibility to serve everyone equally — regardless of their first language. Fortunately, modern digital tools can eliminate this barrier and get everyone on the same page.
How Bilingual Software Solves These Challenges
Choosing the right bilingual municipal software can help communities serve their citizens equally by breaking down barriers to access.
A platform for community development and public works that seamlessly supports English and Spanish communication enables residents to apply for permits or licenses in their preferred language.
This bilingual system reduces errors caused by misunderstanding forms or messages, which can reduce staff administrative time that is otherwise spent trying to help residents sort out their confusion about the process.
With the right tools in place, applicant success rates improve, and fewer incomplete or incorrect submissions slow things down.
Features like the ability to provide automatic notifications, such as status updates or inspection alerts, in the resident’s preferred language can keep everyone on track.
All of these things together can help build trust by showing that local governments recognize and respect residents’ language preferences.
Best of all, this can happen without demanding additional work for the staff — the software simply takes care of everything.
What to Look for in Bilingual Municipal Software
The right solution for local governments today should work for everyone — staff and citizens alike — without adding to the administrative burden of employees.
It needs the right features that provide modern communication tools. Look for things like:
- The public portal should work with multiple languages
- It should be able to manage bilingual communication logs and auto-notifications
- It needs to support the most widely used languages, such as English and Spanish
Cloudpermit’s comprehensive software can do all this and more, making community development and public works actions understandable for all citizens.
The platform supports both English and Spanish, reducing applicant confusion and missing information that can lead to inaccurate decisions.
By bridging the language gap, Cloudpermit’s bilingual municipal software supports equity across all services provided by local government — permitting, inspections, enforcement, planning, public works, and more.
Boost Your Accessibility to Gain Efficiency, Equity, and Trust
Software that works in both English and Spanish isn’t just a nice thing to have — it’s an essential digital tool for communities that want to be inclusive, transparent, and responsive.
Today’s local government leaders need to consider language equity as they work to modernize and streamline service delivery.
See how Cloudpermit’s bilingual municipal software can improve access for your community by booking a demo with us.
