Rosen’s Bipartisan Bill to Reduce Language Barriers for Travel Advances Out of Senate Committee

Rosen’s TRANSLATE Act Would Simplify Air Travel for Non-English Speakers, Support U.S. Travel and Tourism

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee voted to advance the bipartisan TSA Reaching Across Nationalities, Societies, and Languages to Advance Traveler Education (TRANSLATE) Act, introduced by U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Cornyn (R-TX). This legislation would simplify air travel for non-English speakers, international travelers, and those with visual and/or hearing impairments by ensuring TSA signage and materials at airports are available in more languages and in additional forms, which will support travel and tourism in and to the United States. 

“Nevada is a proudly diverse state that also attracts millions of international visitors each year. As we continue restoring our state’s travel and tourism industry, we can take steps to make travel information more accessible in more languages for all of our residents and visitors,” said Senator Rosen. “My bipartisan bill advancing out of committee with unanimous bipartisan support brings us one step closer to removing existing language barriers for travelers.”

The TRANSLATE Act will require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop a plan to ensure signage and information at major airports can be better understood by more people. This includes providing materials in the most common non-English languages at each major airport and creating a plan to improve materials for visually and/or hearing-impaired individuals. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 30% of Nevadans over the age of five years old speak a language other than English at home.

Bipartisan companion legislation introduced by U.S. Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Van Taylor (R-TX) passed the House last year.

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