CHINESE
What You Need to Know About Child Support: Modifications
(PDF)
(MD Legal Aid)ÑA brochure that explains the basics behind getting a court order
for child support modified that was created by the Legal Bureau of Maryland,
which provides free civil legal assistance to low-income people in need
throughout Maryland. 2 pages, last updated January 2007.
What
You Need to Know About Paternity (PDF)
(MD Legal Aid)ÑA brochure that explains how paternity is
established, how it can be challenged, and the legal effect of establishing
paternity, which was created by the Legal Aid Bureau of Maryland, who provides
free civil legal assistance to low-income people throughout Maryland.
2 pages, last updated March 2006.
Maryland TenantsÕ Rights: Security Deposits (PDF)
(MD Legal Aid)ÑThis a brochure that explains the basics
behind security deposits: what they are, when a tenant must pay them, how to get
your security deposit back, and what to do if you have a problem with your
security deposit, created by the Legal Aid Bureau of MD, who provides free civil
legal assistance to low-income people throughout Maryland. 2 pages, last updated January 2007.
You
DonÕt Have to Live Like This: TenantsÕ Guide to Legal Self-Help In Rent Escrow
Cases (PDF) (MD Legal Aid)ÑThis is a guide that is designed to familiarize tenants with MarylandÕs
Rent Escrow law. It is intended to inform tenants of their right to live in
property that does not threaten their lives, health or safety, as well as to
equip tenants to represent themselves in court whenever their landlords refuse
to make necessary repairs in their homes. 9 pages, last
updated 2001.
Safety
Planning in the Workplace: Protect Yourself and Your Job (PDF) (NOW Legal Defense and Education
Fund) - A guide for women who are victims of domestic violence.
4 pages, last updated in 2001.
Your Rights to Interpretation And Translation From Maryland State Agencies (Maryland Legal Assistance Network)
- Information about and explanation of the Maryland law that requires many of the Maryland state government agencies
and programs to help you if you have trouble with English. (May 2007).
Your Right To An Interpreter in Court - You have the right to have an
interpreter when you have a case in the Maryland courts. This brochure describes your rights. The Maryland Legal
Assistance Network and the Maryland State Bar Associations' Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services created
the brochure. You can print it out and take it to court as one way of asking for an interpreter. You can give the
brochure to the clerk. There is an English section that tells the clerk which language you speak and notifies the
court staff person that you wish to have an interpreter. (2 pages - 2007)
Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants (PDF) (USCIS) - A guide created by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (English) that discusses a wide variety of issues pertaining to being an immigrant in the US, such as rights and responsibilities as an immigrant, maintaining current status, federal benefits, and much more. 73 pages, last updated January 2005.
What to Do If You are Detained by Immigration (PDF) (NILC) - A fact sheet that explains what are your rights if you are detained by immigration authorities that is provided by the
National Immigration Legal Center (English), a national support center that specializes in immigration law, and the employment and public benefits rights of immigrants. 2 pages, last updated July 2004.
Finding Legal Help
The Maryland Legal Assistance Network (MLAN) supports
the work of the organizations providing free legal help to people in Maryland with low and
moderate incomes. Many organizations provide help in other languages. This section is a gateway to the written information currently available in
Maryland.
You may also contact these legal organizations that can provide
help using over-the-telephone interpreters in over 145 languages. If you are comfortable
reading some English or have a friend who can
help, you can find more information on these legal organization and others by searching this directory.
Other sources
of legal help:
Free Legal Advice for Howard County
Residents - Foreign-Born Information and Referral Network (FIRN) (410-992-1923) is a
Columbia, Maryland based non-profit organization that provides free legal advice on
immigration, housing, domestic violence, health, and employment issues. FIRN recommends that you have an English Speaker assist
with the call until a translator is available. If there is no one in the
office able to assist you in Chinese, the office will refer you to a volunteer outside the
office who will help you. You must be a
Howard County resident to be eligible for this service; exceptions are made in emergency
situations. FIRN is open Monday, Thursday,
and Friday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Legal Referral Hotline staffed by Law
Students speaking Mandarin and Cantonese - The Asian Pacific American Legal Resource
Center (202-393-3572) is a non-profit, legal referral hotline staffed by bilingual law
students in the Washington, DC area. They can help locate agencies or attorneys who can
give you legal help, mainly in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
APALRC has interpreters available for meetings with your attorney. The hotline runs from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday-Friday. You may be eligible for free or
reduced fee legal help based on your income.
Finding Free Translation
Unfortunately, we have not been able to translate all
of the material on this website into your language. There
is a great deal of material here that might be of interest.
One way to get an idea of what any website or document says is to use one of the
free machine translation websites listed below. While
a machine can only give a very general idea, it can help you to decide which sections
might be worth finding a human translator to help you read.
In order to use the sites, you will need to be able to read enough English to
follow the instructions.
Babel Fish offers an easy
and quick translation from English to Chinese. The
initial translation page is in English (so you may need help from a friend). Either enter in text or a URL (website address) to
be translated. Go to the box after
“Translate from” and click the down arrow to choose “English to
Chinese”. Click the
“Translate” box and your text or URL will be automatically translated into
Chinese, at no cost.
Finding Information on the Web
Cash
assistance for person in need or help with state government social programs – The
Maryland Department of Human
Resources (DHR) is the state agency that administers the social service programs in
Maryland, including family investment and child care.
Even though the website is written in English, if you click on “Chinese”
in the middle of the left-hand side of the page (along with other languages), all the
site’s text is automatically translated into Chinese.
Get help from a friend to read the topic headings in the top left-hand corner,
which are in English. For example, once you
click on “Services” (in English) in the topic headings, you will be able to
search through the services DHR offers in Chinese. You
can also search, in Chinese, for a job at DHR once you click on the “Job
Listings” topic heading in English.
Social security,
retirement and survivors benefits, disability benefits, and Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) benefits - The Social Security Administration (SSA) is the
federal government agency that administers social security, a way for Americans to
automatically save money for the future. The SSA
offers many of its documents online in Chinese. Here you can find general information on topics such as
the various social security programs, applying for retirement, disability and Supplemental
Security Income benefits, and a glossary of social security terms. Also, you can call 1-800-772-1213 to request a free interpreter to assist in social security issues; however an English speaker must go through the phone tree to request a translator.
Employment Discrimination - The
Department of Justice – Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair
Employment Practices (OSC) is a federal agency division that investigates employers
charged with discrimination based on national origin and citizenship status. The OSC offers a worker brochure in
Chinese on employment
discrimination, which includes hotline numbers and the list of acceptable documents for
work eligibility verification. You can also
fill out and send in a charge
form about an unfair immigration-related employment practice, or call the toll free
information number and worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688.
Once you get through to the hotline, dial “0” immediately and request an
interpreter in Chinese by saying "Chinese only." Hold the line and they
will get an interpreter for you.
Ideas and information for women (and men) interested in starting their own business -
Small Business Administration's Women's Business Center is
a web site that provides resources ranging from checklists to networking opportunities. The main web page for this site is in English, but a button on the left, toward the bottom of the page will lead you to the
Chinese page.
You have the right not to be discriminated against based on national origin - (U.S. Department of Justice)
Chinese Legal Dictionaries/Glossaries Available Online
Legal terms can be confusing. These links provide access to legal
dictionaries and glossary in Chinese that come from reputable sources, such as state courts, state legal services associations,
and federal agencies. Because the glossaries are organized alphabetically by the English word, if you are looking for the
English equivalent of a particular Chinese word it may be helpful to go over the glossary with someone who understands
English, such as a friend or an attorney. While they may require some searching, these glossaries are all helpful resources
in trying to understand legal issues and terminology in your native language.
EnglishÑSimplified Chinese and English-Traditional Chinese Glossary of Commonly Used Court and Justice System Terminology
(PDF) (Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification) - This is a English-Chinese glossary of commonly used court system
and legal terms organized alphabetically by the English word prepared by the Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification,
a multi-state partnership dedicated to developing court interpreter proficiency tests, making tests available to member states,
and regulating the use of the tests, and posted online by the Wisconsin State Court System. 59 pages, last updated 2003.
Last review July 31, 2007 (MLAN/KF)
 |
