Two entries on the same city list
New York City designates ten citywide languages under Local Law 30 of 2017: Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Korean, Arabic, Urdu, French and Polish. Haitian Creole is on that list. So is French. They sit there as two entries because they are two languages, and the law treats them that way.
Covered city agencies have to translate their most commonly distributed documents into all ten, provide telephonic interpretation in at least 100 languages, post multilingual signage saying interpretation is free, and name a language access coordinator who publishes an implementation plan.
The order of the list is not a ranking of anything useful to you: the first six names come from Census data on limited-English-proficient New Yorkers and the last four from Department of Education data. What matters at a front desk is narrower. Two names, both valid, one of them yours. How the interpreter right works. If French is the language you actually want, the French page is the one to read.
The request that fails is the one that sounds close enough
Say the full name, Haitian Creole, and say it before anyone starts booking.
“I speak Haitian Creole. Please book a Haitian Creole interpreter, not French, and note the language in my chart.”
The wrong booking survives the visit because it looks like a success from outside: an interpreter connects, a related language is spoken in the room, the appointment ends on time, and the record shows language services were provided.
Where a form has a preferred-language field, write Haitian Creole in yourself rather than letting a clerk pick from a dropdown at speed. Where there is no form, confirm what got typed: “Can you tell me what language it says in my record?” Registration is the cheap place to fix this. Once you are roomed, correcting it means a clinician waiting in the doorway.
The hospital’s duty and the city’s duty are different rules
A city agency office and a hospital do not owe you the same thing, so asking the wrong one for the wrong thing burns a week.
| Where you are | The rule | What it gets you |
|---|---|---|
| A covered city agency | Local Law 30 of 2017 | Commonly distributed documents in the ten designated citywide languages, telephonic interpretation in at least 100 languages, signage saying interpretation is free |
| A hospital, clinic or other covered health program | Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act | A qualified interpreter, free of charge, for the conversation itself |
Section 1557 sets a standard for the person interpreting: proficient in English and the other language, working effectively, accurately and impartially, with specialized vocabulary, and without changes, omissions or additions. A French interpreter handling a Haitian Creole conversation fails that standard however good the French is.
The same rule makes the service free to you. An interpreter charge on a bill is an error, and worth disputing in writing.
When the interpreter is wrong, or missing
The fix is procedural, and it works better the earlier in the visit you start it.
- Name both languages out loud. “This is French. I need Haitian Creole.” Staff cannot hear the difference and are not expected to.
- Ask for the phone line. Telephonic interpretation is a legitimate answer rather than a brush-off, and it reaches languages nobody on site speaks.
- Decline the relative who was about to help. A family member should not interpret a clinical conversation, and a child should never be asked to, whatever their English is like.
- Refuse the instruction to bring your own. Being told to bring an interpreter is not acceptable, and saying so plainly usually ends the conversation.
- Ask for the request to be noted. “Please note in my chart that I requested a Haitian Creole interpreter.” A noted request is a record. A spoken one is a memory.
What this household usually needs next
Two questions follow the language question more often than any others, and they are the two where a wrong interpreter costs the most money.
Status. Hospital financial assistance may not consider immigration status. NYC Care has no immigration requirement and no income cutoff for membership, and it is not insurance: a card, an assigned primary care provider, sliding-scale fees. An emergency department must screen and stabilize anyone regardless of insurance, ability to pay or immigration status. What status does and does not change.
The bill. Every New York hospital runs a financial assistance program. At or below 200% of the federal poverty level an uninsured patient pays nothing out of pocket for medically necessary care, there is no asset test, and the decision has to reach you in writing within 30 days. How to apply.
In Brooklyn, the Flatbush page covers what a public hospital owes you and how that differs from a private one.
Questions people ask
Is Haitian Creole one of New York City’s designated languages?
Yes. It is one of the ten designated citywide languages under Local Law 30 of 2017, listed separately from French.
The clinic offered me a French interpreter. Do I have to accept?
No. Say that you need Haitian Creole and ask for another interpreter or for the telephone line. An interpreter working in a different language does not meet the qualified interpreter standard, which requires accuracy without changes, omissions or additions.
Does an interpreter cost anything?
No. Language assistance in a covered health program is free of charge. You cannot be billed for it, and you cannot be told to bring your own interpreter.
My sister speaks both languages. Can she interpret?
She should not. A family member should not interpret a clinical conversation and a child should never be asked to. You may insist on a relative if you want one, but you should never be told to use one.
Is a phone interpreter acceptable, or should a person be in the room?
A phone interpreter is a legitimate answer, and city agencies must provide telephonic interpretation in at least 100 languages. If the line is bad or the language is wrong, say so and ask for another connection.
Will asking for a Haitian Creole interpreter raise questions about my immigration status?
It is a request about language. Hospital financial assistance may not consider immigration status, NYC Care has no immigration requirement, and an emergency department treats regardless of status. The full picture.
Sources
- NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs — language access (checked 2026-09-15)
- HHS — Section 1557 and limited English proficiency (checked 2026-09-15)
- NYC Council — Local Law 30 of 2017 requirements (checked 2026-09-15)
More in You Have the Right to an Interpreter — Here's How to Use It
- Getting Care in French in New York: French Is Often What the System Can Offer, Not What You Would Choose — French is one of the ten designated citywide languages and Haitian Creole is another — they are not substitutes. If French is your second language, ask for your first by name.
- Getting Care in Polish in New York: Being on the City's List and Being on Your Hospital's List Are Two Different Things — Polish is one of the ten designated citywide languages, but that rule binds city agencies. A hospital answers to Section 1557 and to a separate state rule about its own patients.
- Getting Care in Chinese in New York: The Law Names One Language, the Interpreter Line Needs Four — Local Law 30 names Chinese as one citywide language. The interpreter line does not work that way: name Mandarin, Cantonese, Fuzhounese or Toishanese — then ask for it in writing.
This page explains how the system works. It is not medical advice. More.