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Cook County in Illinois is trying to make navigating its services easier for people, regardless of the language they speak.

People who don’t speak English and need help from the county can pick up an “I Speak” Card at the Sheriff’s Kiosk in the Cook County Building or at the George W. Dunne Cook County Administration Building. The card has 34 languages listed on it to help get people to the right Cook County department and to someone who speaks their primary language.

“Here in Cook County, we’re committed to meeting people where they are,” said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. “That means recognizing that language is a barrier, but it doesn’t have to be.”

The “I Speak” Card initiative was spearheaded by 13th District Commissioner Josina Morita and was announced as part of Cook County’s “Language Access Month,” which is being recognized for the first time throughout April. The effort is being made in part to combat the Trump administration’s rollback of some of its language services and designating English as the official language of the United States.

“We believe that language access is a human right,” Morita said. “Language access is essential. In many ways, there is nothing more basic than the right to communicate, to be understood, and to be represented, recognized, and respected.”

Non-English speakers can use the “I Speak” Card by showing it to a county employee and pointing to their language. The other side of the card tells the employee in English what language the person needing assistance is pointing to so they can get the help they need.

While the “I Speak” Cards are now available only at the two aforementioned locations, there are plans to expand them to other county facilities in the future.

WGN9 (4/9/25) By Michael Johnson and Erik Runge