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Governor Quinn Announces Expanded Translation Services on State Employment Website


Initiative Increases Access to Services for Job Seekers and Employers

CHICAGO–(ENEWSPF)–March 15, 2012. Governor Pat Quinn today announced enhanced language translation services at the Illinois Department of Employment Security’s (IDES) website. The initiative makes information more accessible to individuals and businesses, helping them accomplish their goals more quickly.

Visitors to the IDES website can explore new career opportunities, obtain information to help build a business and access tips to aid in their job search. The translation effort converts English text on the IDES website to the four languages most frequently requested for translation: Spanish, Polish, Simplified Chinese and Russian. Other language translations can still be delivered upon request.

“IDES’ employment services are critical to keeping our economic recovery moving forward,” Governor Quinn said. “Helping individuals reach the services they need is one of the core missions of government, and these translation services will help employers and job seekers.”

Previously, IDES provided automatic website translation in Spanish, the most frequently requested language. This effort expands the available languages and also expands the number of documents and videos available for translation. Users can access translated documents by clicking the appropriate button in the upper-right corner of the IDES homepage.

“This effort is putting more information online in an easy-to-use format, making the Department more user-friendly,” IDES Director Jay Rowell said. “Each time we make our services easier to use it means more people getting back to work more quickly.”

For each language, the IDES reviews more than 280 website pages with nearly 94,000 characters. A common website language translator converts the text from English, followed by review by fluent IDES staff to ensure accuracy and nuance. As IDES website information is updated regularly, periodic reviews are planned. As a precaution, legal opinions, legislation and court orders are not automatically translated; most IDES customers do not seek these documents.

The IDES supports economic stability by administering unemployment benefits, collecting business contributions to fund those benefits, connecting employers with qualified job seekers, and providing economic information to assist career planning and economic development. It does so through nearly 60 offices, including Illinois workNet centers.

Source: illinois.gov


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