English may be the most commonly used language in the United States, but there are more than 350 languages spoken throughout the country. This means the majority of business transactions in any given state are conducted in English – but not all.
There are federal and state laws and regulations that require customer-facing businesses to provide services in a language their customers can understand, according to attorneys from Hudson Cook, LLC. in a recent article. They further mention specifics can vary between states, with some such as California and Texas requiring translations of sales contracts and other disclosures be provided in the customer’s native language in certain instances.
Here is some Census data that may help explain why better understanding any language requirements for your business can be important.
-
The United States Census Bureau estimated nearly
335 million people called the U.S. home in July 2023.
-
A little over 78 percent of those people were identified as being over 18 years old, meaning there are more than 270 million people of car buying age in the United States.
-
According to a
2022 Census study, nearly 68 million people spoke a language other than English the home, with 25.7 million of those responding they speak English “less than very well”.
-
Spanish is the most commonly spoken language other than English, with around 41.4 million speakers.
To help dealerships meet their state’s requirements, we offer the LAW® 553® Retail Installment Sale Contract in Spanish in the following states:
-
Florida
-
Nevada
-
New York
-
Pennsylvania
-
Texas
-
Washington
-
California
-
LAW® is your trusted source for standard automotive F&I documents. This article is for educational purposes only, not to be taken as legal advice. Contact your legal representative if you have any questions regarding the laws and regulations applicable to your dealership.