California is so diverse that many people can’t even speak to each other. Think I’m kidding? In a recent article from the LA Times, the courts are having troubles in communication because they have to deal with over 200 different languages.  The courts face lawsuits not supplying enough language interpreters because many in their population do not want to learn English.

Along with California, they began working to comply with U.S civil rights law, which bars discrimination based on national origin. Failure to act meant the possible loss of federal money.

But nowhere has the task been so challenging as in California, the most linguistically diverse state in the nation.

At least 220 languages are spoken in California, and 44% of residents speak a language other than English at home. Seven million Californians say they cannot speak English well.

On top of that, California’s court system is considered the largest in the nation, surpassing in size the entire labyrinth of federal courts.

Just finding enough trained interpreters has proved daunting. The state’s courts handle as many as eight million cases a year.