In this episode, we sit down with Cindy Roat, a nationally recognized language access expert, policy leader, and longtime civil rights advocate, to explore a foundational yet often misunderstood question: What does it truly mean to treat language access as a civil right?

Drawing on decades of experience shaping federal, state, and local language access policy, Cindy reflects on the evolution of healthcare interpreting, the ethics that define the profession, and the systems that continue to marginalize people with limited English proficiency. Together, we examine how interpreter training emerged in the U.S., why ethics and role clarity matter, and how language access shifted from an informal workaround to a compliance obligation rooted in civil rights law.

The conversation also dives into the present moment. We unpack the implications of recent executive orders, Medicaid cuts, and political rhetoric around language, and why these forces pose real risks to equitable access to care and public services. Cindy introduces Unheard Voices, a national initiative documenting the lived experiences of individuals whose communication needs are ignored, silenced, or dismissed, and explains why storytelling is essential to effective advocacy.

In this episode of the Language Access Matters Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Lorella Viola, Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities & Society at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, to explore a profound question: Who gets to shape digital knowledge, and in which language?

This conversation examines how language, power, and ideology circulate through digital infrastructures: from search engines and archives to multilingual systems, cultural heritage, and AI tools. Dr. Viola explains how English became the default of the internet, what this means for communities worldwide, and how multilingual approaches can break down long-standing silos in digital knowledge production.

If you work in language access, digital policy, interpretation, cultural heritage, AI ethics, healthcare communication, or global education, this episode illuminates why multilingual design is not just a feature: it is a form of justice.

In this thought-provoking episode of Language Access Matters, host Carol Velandia sits down with Stefan Huyghe—Vice President at Communicaid Language Solutions, founder of the AI in LOC newsletter, and host of The Agile Localization Podcast. With over 25 years of experience in global content strategy, Stefan brings a unique perspective from the intersection of artificial intelligence, localization, and language access advocacy.

Together, Carol and Stefan explore how technology and human-centered values can work side by side to create communication that is not only fast and scalable but also fair, inclusive, and deeply human.