Web site restores some Spanish content

Most Spanish-language content is being restored to the official state Web site after officials determined it wasn't in violation of the state's English-only law.

Mike Mower, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s spokesman, said information dealing with taxes and the state library will be kept off the Web site as a result of the review. However, information related to health and public safety will stay, he said.

"It was always our intention to make certain we were in compliance with state laws and federal regulations," Mower said. "The policy has been set, but the content review will be ongoing."

Materials related to tourism and economic development may be translated into additional languages on the Web site, including Chinese, Mower said. The aim is "to try to enhance Utah's status as a significant trade center in the world."

A link to the Spanish-language site was originally included in an update to www.utah.gov but was taken down earlier this month after questions were raised about its legality.

"As part of that, we collected a lot of different information from agencies and departments," Mower said. "One of the links to information provided by the Office of Ethnic Affairs provided information about state agencies in Spanish."

Utah Interactive, which manages utah.gov, created the Spanish site in cooperation with the Utah Office of Ethnic Affairs, said communications manager Hope Miller. The site, espanol.utah.gov, will serve as a mini-portal, similar to utah.gov, which is a doorway to resources such as renewing driver licenses, finding state agencies or filing state tax returns.

The site originally contained 10 pages, compared to the English site's 400 pages, she said.

"It was a doorway to resources in Spanish," Miller said. "We linked it to existing Spanish content and resources."

In addition to existing Spanish information, new content was developed, including information on taxes, vehicle registration, jobs, driving-privilege cards and health.

It was translated at no cost to taxpayers, as Utah Interactive absorbed the cost as part of its contract, Miller said. All of the content was also available in English at utah.gov.

The law, which declared English as Utah's official language, was the result of a 2000 ballot initiative. A 2001 ruling in 3rd District Court found the statute "largely symbolic."

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Contributing: Lisa Riley Roche

E-mail: dbulkeley@desnews.com