{"id":357698,"date":"2016-04-04T10:45:26","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/employment\/employment-discrimination\/national-origin-discrimination-and-english-language-only-rules.html"},"modified":"2025-05-07T10:45:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T15:45:02","slug":"national-origin-discrimination-and-english-language-only-rules","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/employment\/employment-discrimination\/national-origin-discrimination-and-english-language-only-rules.html","title":{"rendered":"Are Language Rules at Work Employment Discrimination?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Are Language Rules at Work Employment Discrimination?<\/h1>\n
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\n By Balrina Ahluwalia, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Laura Temme, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

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Language discrimination happens when people are treated unfairly because of their accent or the language they speak. This is often illegal. It can show up as rules forcing workers to only speak English, setting too strict English requirements, or making fun of someone\u2019s accent. Both federal and state laws protect against this, ensuring everyone has the right to be treated equally at work, regardless of how well they speak English.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n

English isn’t your first language. But you’ve found a job where that doesn’t matter. You work hard. Sometimes you put in long hours. Doing good work is important to you. You’re using your skills and becoming a valuable employee. But it feels like things are changing. Maybe you’re noticing co-workers laughing about your accent. Or perhaps the company wants to begin English fluency testing. Maybe you suspect your English skills are the reason you were just passed up for a big promotion.<\/p>\r\n

You could be facing language discrimination. This is illegal. But the laws and remedies available to you can be confusing. You will want to speak with an employment law attorney<\/a> about your situation. You can speak with them privately<\/a>. They can help you figure out your next steps.<\/p>\r\n

In this article, we’ll review how United States law treats language discrimination against employees and job applicants. State laws can also help. But it depends on your state. For example, an English-only work policy may be illegal discrimination in one state but not another. So, it’s important you talk to a lawyer in your state.<\/p>\r\n

Let’s begin by explaining language discrimination.<\/p>\r\n

What Is Language Discrimination?<\/h2>\r\n

Language discrimination is unfair treatment of someone because of the language they speak or how they speak it. In the U.S., language discrimination usually targets people who don’t speak English or whose native language isn’t English.<\/p>\r\n

If the unfair treatment is based on someone’s accent, we call that \u201caccent discrimination." It’s a kind of language discrimination.<\/p>\r\n

Language discrimination in the workplace may take many forms. This can include:<\/p>\r\n