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Only IRS "public use tax forms and tax related documents" are within the scope of the MLI.
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Public use documents include those that enable the general public and other Government agencies (including state and local ones) to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue laws and regulations or to otherwise communicate with the general public and other Government agencies.
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If a document is not for public use, further pursuit of translation must stop.
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All documents may be considered for translation into the regularly encountered language (vital and non-vital).
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Translations into languages other than the regularly encountered language will be limited to non-vital documents for education and outreach purposes only . Vital documents will not be translated into non-English languages other than those regularly encountered.
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Translations into non-regularly encountered LEP languages will be limited to situations where it is determined that:
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The LEP language is one of the top five LEP language groups in the U.S.; or
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The LEP language is "highly concentrated" in the local area and the translated material is for local use only.
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The Translation Approval Form , Form 13779, must be used to determine if the language meets the above criteria.
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The Form 13779 can be completed and submitted on-line at http://mli.stg.web.irs.gov/v3/home/index.asp.
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A language (other than the top five national relevant LEP languages) may be designated as a "highly concentrated LEP language" on a local basis.
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This designation allows local offices to provide limited language assistance and translation of local relevant non-vital documents for "education and outreach purposes only" .
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To achieve this designation, the LEP language group must exceed 20% of the state’s LEP population or represent over 20,000 LEP persons. (See Form 13779 for more information.
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If the language does not meet the above criteria, translation activity must stop. The use of over the phone (OPI) interpreter services should be considered.
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Document originators/owners must approve translation of a document. They are also responsible for maintenance of translated documents.
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Document originators/owners are generally those with program responsibility for the technical content of documents.
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Only document originators/owners can have a document translated.
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If the translation requestor is not the document originator, the originator must be identified and contacted with the translation request.
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Originators can be identified through the IRS Product Catalog (Pub 7130) or on the IRS Intranet. (http://publish.no.irs.gov/catlg.htm).
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Originators who concur with a translation request or initiate translation, should continue to the next step of the translation process.
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If the document originator cannot be identified or does not concur with the translation request, further pursuit of translation must stop at this point.
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Once you have determined that the document is for public use; the translation is to an approved language; the document is not taxpayer correspondence; you are the owner and agreed that translation is needed; the next step is to evaluate the need for translation.
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It is not necessary to translate all documents, but it is necessary to ensure meaningful access, within resource constraints.
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The Translation Approval Form , Form 13779, should be used to document necessary information related to the documents viability for translation.
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To be a candidate for translation, a document must be:
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Important to LEP taxpayers
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In high demand or frequently used by taxpayers
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Unavailable to taxpayers by alternate means (i.e., the same information is not already translated in another document)
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Determined (by the BOD or Function) to have an acceptable level of downstream adverse impact (e.g. staffing, work process, etc.) on the organization
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"Important" documents are those for which there would be a negative impact on LEP taxpayers if not available in their primary language.
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Important documents assist LEP taxpayers to:
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Understand and fulfill their tax responsibilities,
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Access Federal benefits and services
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Avoid fines and penalties
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If the document does not meet one of the criterion above but is determined through direct input from LEP taxpayers and stakeholders to be important, documentation of importance must be provided.
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If the document does not meet the criterion above or can not be substantiated as important to LEP taxpayers, further pursuit of translation must stop at this point.
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A document must be in high demand and/or frequently used by LEP taxpayers to warrant translation.
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High demand and frequency of use is based on the English version of the document.
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The document owner must determine projected demand and use for new English documents that are being translated.
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The following formula can be applied to assess the degree of demand of a document:
When Multiplied by Multiplied by Is Then The total distribution volume of the English document The percent of returns not completed by tax preparers (50% for W&I taxpayers LEP percent of the U.S. population (Spanish equals 3.2%) Greater than 200,000 The document is in high demand by the LEP -
Example: 1,000,000 documents x 50% - 500,000 x 3.2% - 16,000 (estimated demand)
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If the document does not meet this criteria it is deemed not important and further pursuit of translation must stop at this point.
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A review of existing language assistance services must be made before translation, to determine if another source of the translated information is available.
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Originators should research to determine if alternate means are available and serve as adequate replacements to document translation. Alternatives may include, but are not limited to:
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Referral to existing translated materials
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Referral to pre-recorded Tele-tax information in Spanish
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Referral to live oral assistance via established Spanish language telephone service
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If information is available in the foreign language from another source, the originator should determine if the information is sufficient to serve as an alternative to translation.
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If the information, in an already-translated source, is adequate or if an explanation via Tele-tax or live assistance is appropriate, the following steps should be taken:
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The translation requestor (if other than the originator) should be apprised of the alternative.
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The alternative should be documented, and documentation saved with other translation records.
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A statement should be added to the English document to indicate the source for translated information and directions on how the information may be obtained in another language (specify language or languages and point readers to the alternative.)
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If a suitable alternative to translation is not identified, activity should progress to "Evaluating Organizational Impact" (22.31.1.8.6).
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If it is determined that an alternative to translation is available, a statement in the LEP language should be added to the English version of the document.
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The following statement has been approved for incorporation into English documents when referring taxpayers to Spanish telephone assistance:
"Para asistencia en Español favor de llamar al (XXX-XXX-XXXX)"
(For assistance in Spanish please call XXX-XXX-XXXX) -
BOD/Functional Executive approval (as determined by the BOD or Function)is required to modify the English version of the document to add a statement.
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If the required approvals cannot be obtained, activities pursuant to translation must stop.
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Document translation may necessitate actions on the part of IRS. The anticipated actions must be assessed to determine candidacy.
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Documents with unacceptable organizational impact and excessive cost (as determined by the BOD or Function) will not be translated. The originator of a document must conduct the impact evaluation to document estimated cost necessitated by the document translation.
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Further translation activities cannot proceed until an impact assessment is performed.
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The "Translation Approval Form" , Form 13779, must be used to document an analysis of potential organizational impact of document translation. Assessment components include:
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Use of the document in business processes
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Procedural changes required if the document is translated
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Need for bilingual staff to process
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Availability of bilingual staff
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Need for additional bilingual staff
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Potential increases in workload
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Estimated staffing costs
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Training needs
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Potential labor relations issues
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Notices, letters, or other documents sent with the document
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Changes needed to computer systems
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Requirements for a RIS, and its anticipated costs
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Problems, issues, and risks that might be encountered
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Solutions necessary to resolve problems, issues and risks
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External dependencies that might also be impacted
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The document originator must look at all potential impacts and decide whether they have a negative organizational impact.
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If it is determined that the impact is adverse and/or unacceptable translation activity must stop.
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If you have met all of the previous criteria, your document is considered viable for translation.
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The next steps are to determine document categorization (vital vs. non-vital):
Information Contained Vital Document Non-Vital (National Relevance) Non-Vital (Local Relevance) Contains critical information for accessing tax services, rights, and/or benefits or Required by law Yes No No Contains technical tax information or general information relevant nation wide N/A Yes No Only contains general or administrative information relevant to local area only N/A N/A Yes -
All Tax Products originated by the Tax Forms & Publications Division are considered vital documents.
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All translations, both vital and non-vital, must be approved (at a minimum) by the BOD or Function of the originator.
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BODs or Functions are responsible for developing their own internal approval process, including coordination with other BODs on jointly owned documents.
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The MLI Executive Council must concur with translation for all vital documents.
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The Form 1767, Publishing Services Request , along with an attached Form 13779, Translation Approval Form , will serve as notification of approved translations, revisions, and deletions.
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A copy of the Form 1767 and the accompanying Form 13779, should be forwarded to the MLI Strategy Office.
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The MLI Executive Council must concur with translation of all vital documents. The Translation Approval Form will be used to obtain approval for translation of vital documents.
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If BOD and/or MLI Executive Council approval (as appropriate) cannot be obtained, translation activity must stop.
Figure 22.31.1-1a
This image is too large to be displayed in the current screen. Please click the link to view the image.Figure 22.31.1-1b
This image is too large to be displayed in the current screen. Please click the link to view the image.Figure 22.31.1-1c
This image is too large to be displayed in the current screen. Please click the link to view the image.Figure 22.31.1-1d
This image is too large to be displayed in the current screen. Please click the link to view the image.Figure 22.31.1-1e
This image is too large to be displayed in the current screen. Please click the link to view the image.TRANSLATION APPROVAL FORM (Form 13779)
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All vital forms and publications will be translated and quality reviewed by The Virtual Translation Office (VTO). Once BOD/Function and MLI Executive Council approval is received, the signed Form 1767 should be forwarded to the VTO. For instructions relating to preparation of the Form 1767, refer to IRM 1.17.2.5.
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Notice and notice-related documents deemed vital for translation will be translated and quality reviewed by the Notice Improvement Office.
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Request for Translation of Vital Notices, Letters, and Notice Related Documents
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Submit approved Form 1767 and completed Form 13779, signed by the official manager (blocks 7, 8, 9, 12, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, and 27 of Form 1767 must be completed) to your Single Point of Contact (SPOC).
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The signature of the Operating Division (OD) Notice Single Point of Contact (SPOC) is also required for all notices and letters.
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Electronic files should be provided whenever possible.
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Non-vital documents will be translated only if there are sufficient resources available for all aspects of translation, quality review, printing, and distribution costs.
Note:
Contract translation services are available. Contact the MLI Strategy Office for assistance.
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BODs are responsible for establishing internal processes for approval, and translation of non-vital documents.
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All translation processes must comply with the Language Assistance Policy ( See IRM 22.31.1.6.1.) and established Language Standards, ( See IRM 22.31.1.6.2.) and are subject to approval by the MLI Executive Council.
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A copy of the completed Form 1767, Form 13779, and translated documents should be forwarded to the MLI Strategy Office.
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All non-vital translations must undergo quality review. See IRM 22.31.1.7. for guidance.
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Quality reviews are performed to ensure that translated documents are:
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Linguistically accurate and appropriate
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Technically accurate in their tax information.
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BODs must develop an internal process to manage quality reviews of non-vital documents.
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All quality review processes must comply with established Language Standards, ( See IRM 22.31.1.6.2.)
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If a qualified quality reviewer is not available or accessible, translation activities must stop.
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Maintenance (updating, revising, and/or obsoleting) of translated documents will reside with the document owner.
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Document owners must "regularly" evaluate the need for translation revisions, updates, and/or deletions to ensure currency with English documents.
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Continual identification of translated document needs will be monitored by the MLISO.
Figure 22.31.1-2a
This image is too large to be displayed in the current screen. Please click the link to view the image.Figure 22.31.1-2b
This image is too large to be displayed in the current screen. Please click the link to view the image.STP FLOWCHART
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This subsection provides a summary of administrative procedures for using IRCAT resources. It is not meant as a user manual. Additional information on using IRCAT resources can be found on the VTO website at http://taxforms.web.irs.gov/VTO.
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The VTO is charged with administering and maintaining enterprise-wide language translation resources.
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IRCAT is a collection of resources available through the IRS Intranet to improve the quantity and quality of written language translations throughout the agency in targeted languages. IRCAT consists of:
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Idiom Technologies, Inc. WorldServer
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Electronic glossaries, dictionaries, lexicons, etc.
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Multilingual document repository
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Other resources to be determined
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IRCAT is established to:
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Standardize the use of tax terminology in targeted languages
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Leverage previously-approved translations through reuse
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Centralize translation text to permit agency-wide access
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Access to WorldServer
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The VTO administers and manages WorldServer translation memory system, with assistance of the Business Systems Development Division.
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The VTO will determine distribution of WorldServer licenses. The application uses named user licenses and the agency has a limited number.
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Employees requiring access to WorldServer should have their manager contact the VTO Program Office to determine language qualification, anticipated usage, and license availability.
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Potential users are required to attend IRCAT application and certification training and the MLISO Document Translation Training.
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Potential foreign language reviewers must obtain certification following the procedures under IRM 22.31.7.
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Once agreement is reached between a potential WorldServer user’s manager and the VTO program office, the employee shall apply for access using the OL5081 process and request access to the IRCAT system.
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Managers are responsible for notifying the VTO immediately when an employee no longer requires access to WorldServer so that the license can be reallocated.
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WorldServer translation memory (TM) -
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Translation memory is a database of text alignments of English source and foreign language target text segments of documents.
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VTO is responsible for the accuracy, maintenance, and growth of IRS Global Translation Memory – translation memory that is to be used by all WorldServer users.
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WorldServer terminology database (TD) -
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A terminology database is a collection of terms for a particular topic and their approved translation. Publication 850, English-Spanish Glossary of Words and Phrases, is an example of a paper version of a terminology database.
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The VTO is responsible for the accuracy, maintenance, and growth of the IRS Global Terminology Database – which consists of technical tax terms to be used by all WorldServer users and supplements all versions of Publication 850.
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) –Windows Workbench (WWB) -
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Access to WorldServer automatically allows a user to have IdiomTechnology, Inc.’s Windows Workbench installed on their desktop computer.
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The VTO will work with MITS to ensure that the WWB is COE compliant, is made available to all qualified bilingual employees (pending funding and licensing issues), and is kept up to date with patches.
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WWB is the approved Windows-based software package for working with target language translations. This package, however, does not supercede any MITS-approved COTS product that may be in use in other IRS functions.
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The VTO is responsible for administering and maintaining electronic resources for the IRS translation community, subject to funding availability.
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The VTO will build a repository of official IRS translated documents and the English source for archiving and research purposes. Information on access and use of the repository can be found on the VTO website at http://taxforms.web.irs.gov/VTO.
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1) The VTO will resolve issues relating to translation of tax terminology and other technical terminology through consultation with authoritative sources.
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The IRS provides a Spanish-language internet web site for the general public on http:www.irs.gov/Espanol ("the Español Web Site" ).
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The Español Web Site contains information, in Spanish, that can be viewed online or downloaded, providing meaningful access to Spanish products and services.
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The MLISO is designated as the site owner. MLISO is responsible for managing all non-English language content on IRS.gov, including the Español Web Site.
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The process for determining areas of importance for the Español Web Site will be done in accordance with the MLI Strategic Process ( See IRM 22.31.1.4.)
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The principles for managing content on the Español Web Site correspond to those in the W&I Internet Content Publishing Process . (See IRM 11.55.1).
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Part of the Strategic Planning Process will utilize findings from the LEP Needs Assessment Process ( See IRM 22.31.1.5.) to identify areas of importance to LEP taxpayers.
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The identified areas of importance for the Español Web Site will be communicated to the BODS via the LEP Customer Base Report ( See IRM 22.31.1.5.4.).
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BODs will be responsible for developing new translated content and/or improving existing content to target these areas of importance .
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Posted content must meet the established Language, Dialects, and Dictionaries Standards ( See IRM 22.31.1.6.2.).
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Posted content must also comply with the Standardized Translation Process ( See IRM 22.31.1.8.).
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Content posted on the Español Web Site must also exist in English on IRS.gov .
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The MLISO Español Website Content Manager will monitor to ensure translation and quality review standards are met.
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The MLISO Español Website Content Manager will act as the Español Internet Content Process Coordinator (ICPC) in accordance with the W&I Internet Content Publishing Process (See IRM 11.55.1).
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The MLISO Español Website Content Manager will identify any potential issues, conflicts, or other problematic impacts related to posting. Should concerns be identified, the MLISO Español Content Manager will prepare a description of the problem and transmit it to the affected content owner(s). Every effort will be made to work with the content owner to resolve the issue.
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Content providers should submit the following package electronically to the MLI Espanol Website Content Manager at Marilyn.Correa@irs.gov:
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A completed Content Publishing Request (CPR) , obtainable online at http://win.web.irs.gov/icp/docs/cpr_example.doc, with posting priority
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An approved Translation Approval , available at http://mli.stg.web.irs.gov/v3/home/index.asp
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The Spanish content to be posted
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The English counterpart of the content
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Español Website content will be posted on a first come- first serve basis.
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The following exceptions apply:
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Time sensitive information related to the current filing season.
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Time sensitive information related to recent tax law or IRS procedural changes.
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Upon posting of the content, the content provider will be provided with an URL to access the information.
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The MLISO will utilize the IRS.gov Web Certification Process and the W&I Annual Certification Process (See IRM 11.55.1.17) to ensure accuracy and currency of the content on the Español Web Site.
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Content providers are responsible for certifying ownership and accuracy of their internet content on the Español Web Site through these processes.
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The MLISO Español Content Manager is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure of the Español Web Site. This includes
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Content organization
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Navigation
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Look and feel
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