US state adds Yoruba to learner’s permit knowledge test

The US state of Maryland has added Yoruba as one of the new languages for its learner’s permit knowledge test towards getting a driver’s licence.

Yoruba was one of the nine new languages added, the state published on the website of the Motor Vehicle Administration of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The nine new languages brought it to a total of 17, with Yoruba being the only African language.

The statement said the Motor Vehicle Administration “uses U.S. Census data to determine language availability”.

“Following on Governor Wes Moore’s focus on equity and access, the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration is expanding accessibility services to get a state learner’s permit, the first step to getting a Maryland driver’s license.

“The Motor Vehicle Administration recently announced that starting in September, a rollout of nine additional translations of the learner’s permit knowledge test and the Maryland Driver’s Manual will begin — bringing the total for each to 17 different languages.

“The current learner’s permit test and Maryland Driver’s Manual, which are currently available in seven languages, were translated to Plain Language through a partnership with the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council. The new Plain Language version will be used to update the current seven languages and will be translated into nine additional languages and American Sign Language,” The website was quoted.

The current and new languages are as follows: 

Current languages offered

English (Plain Language)
Spanish
French
Nepali
Korean
Traditional Chinese
Vietnamese

New Languages offered:

Yoruba (West Africa)
Tagalog
Amharic (Afro-Asiatic language)
Arabic
Russian
Urdu
Hindi
Farsi
Portuguese
American Sign Language

“Improving accessibility for the driver’s knowledge test and study materials is critical to serve Maryland’s linguistically diverse population. We are pleased to provide the learner’s permit test in these nine additional languages and American Sign Language,” Motor Vehicle Administrator Chrissy Nizer said.

“The Driver’s Manual is a critical tool to educate new drivers and improve road safety for all travelers.

“We are committed to the safety of all our new drivers and we want all our applicants to understand the materials clearly and have a positive testing experience.”