Reference · Compliance
US Language & Translation Compliance Tracker
Use this tracker to identify language and translation requirements that affect technical documentation in the United States and major export markets. It covers federal and selected state rules for workplace training, labels, safety data sheets, instructions for use, shipping papers, and related materials. Each entry gives the citation, the practical requirement, who it applies to, the relevant dates, and a link to the official source. The tracker is reviewed quarterly, with changes recorded below.
Version 1.0 · September 21, 2026 · Next review: December 2026 · Changelog · Cite this tracker
Deadlines on the Horizon
FMCSA comment period closes on the proposed rule to codify English proficiency as an out-of-service condition for CMV drivers
EPA PRIA 5 deadline for Spanish bilingual labeling on antimicrobial and non-agricultural acute-toxicity Category I pesticide products
EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 becomes applicable, including member-state language requirements for machinery instructions
MyPeST compliance reporting due for the EPA antimicrobial and non-agricultural Category I cohort
Quebec sell-through period ends for qualifying pre-June 2025 products affected by the new French-marking rules
EPA PRIA 5 deadline for Spanish bilingual labeling on agricultural acute-toxicity Category II products
California Prop 65 deadline for full compliance with the amended short-form warning requirements
EPA PRIA 5 deadline for Spanish bilingual labeling on all remaining covered end-use pesticide products
| Requirement | What it requires | Who must comply | Status & key dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| OSHA training comprehensionTraining Standards Policy Statement, Apr 28, 2010Safety | When an OSHA standard requires training, employers must provide it using language and vocabulary employees can understand. The quoted wording comes from OSHA's 2010 policy statement and is used as enforcement guidance for the underlying training standard; it is not a standalone general regulation. | All employers under federal OSHA with any training obligation | Current since 2010, unchanged |
| OSHA Hazard Communication — labels & SDS29 CFR 1910.1200(f)(2), (f)(10), (g)(2)SafetyLabeling | Shipped-container labels and safety data sheets must be in English. Other languages may be added, but they do not replace the English version. Training required under paragraph (h) must also be understandable to employees, which can require multilingual delivery or materials. | Chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors; every employer with hazardous chemicals | Current, incl. May 2024 GHS Rev. 7 updates (English rule unchanged) |
| OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens training29 CFR 1910.1030(g)(2)(vii)(C)Safety | This standard addresses language directly in the regulatory text: training material must be "appropriate in content and vocabulary to educational level, literacy, and language of employees." | Employers with occupational exposure to blood/OPIM (healthcare, first response, labs) | Current |
| MSHA miner training language30 CFR 46.4(a)(3)Safety | Part 46 training must be "presented in language understood by the miners who are receiving the training." The explicit sentence appears in Part 46. Part 48, which covers coal and certain underground operations, addresses training through approved plans rather than using the same regulatory wording. | Operators of Part 46 mines (sand, gravel, stone, clay, limestone…) and their contractors | Current |
| EPA PRIA 5 — bilingual pesticide labelingFIFRA as amended by PRIA 5 (P.L. 117-328); PRN 2025-02Labeling | Covered end-use pesticide labels must provide Spanish translations for specified health and safety content, including signal words, first-aid information, precautionary statements, and PPE language. EPA permits certain translated content to be provided electronically, and registrants report product-level compliance through MyPeST. EPA estimates roughly 19,620 products across about 1,820 registrants are affected. | Pesticide registrants selling end-use products in the US | Rolling: RUP/ag Cat I done Dec 2025 · antimicrobial Cat I Dec 29, 2026 · ag Cat II Dec 29, 2027 · antimicrobial Cat II Dec 2028 · all products Dec 29, 2030. MyPeST reports: Jan 28 following each cohort |
| FDA medical devices — English labeling21 CFR 801.15(c)Labeling | Required medical-device label and labeling information must appear in English. If the label or labeling includes a representation in another language, the required information generally must also be repeated in that language. Different predominant-language rules apply in Puerto Rico and certain US territories. | Medical device manufacturers and labelers for the US market | Current |
| FDA drugs — English labeling21 CFR 201.15(c)Labeling | Drug labeling follows the same basic structure: required information must be in English, and foreign-language representations can trigger a duty to repeat the required information in that language. Puerto Rico and certain territories have a predominant-language exception. Food labeling has a parallel rule in 21 CFR 101.15(c) and FDA CPG 562.400. | Drug manufacturers/labelers; food under the parallel rule | Current |
| USDA FSIS — meat & poultry labeling9 CFR 317.2 / 381.128Labeling | Required labeling must be in English, subject to the predominant-language exception for Puerto Rico. The rule applies the same general language principle to meat and poultry products under FSIS jurisdiction. | Meat and poultry processors and importers | Current |
| CPSC — hazardous substances cautionary labelingFHSA, 16 CFR 1500.121Labeling | Required cautionary labeling must be in English. When a label uses another language, the required cautionary statements must also be provided in that language. There is no comparable general CPSC rule setting a language requirement for product manuals; manufacturers instead look to applicable standards and product-liability considerations. | Makers/importers of hazardous household substances | Current |
| ANSI Z535.4 / Z535.6 — safety labels & manualsVoluntary consensus standard, 2023 editionsStandard of care | These voluntary consensus standards are not statutes or regulations, but they are widely used in US product-safety practice and failure-to-warn analysis. They cover signal words, formats, symbols, and guidance for multilingual safety labels and accompanying product-safety information. | Product manufacturers selling into the US (litigation exposure) | Current (2023 editions) |
| DOT/PHMSA — hazmat shipping papers49 CFR 172.201(a)(4)Transport | Hazardous-material shipping-paper descriptions must be legible and printed in English. Additional languages may appear alongside the English text. | Hazmat shippers and carriers, all modes | Current |
| FMCSA — English proficiency for CMV drivers49 CFR 391.11(b)(2); NPRM of Aug 10, 2026Transport | Interstate CMV drivers must have enough English proficiency to communicate, understand highway signs and signals, respond to official inquiries, and make required report entries. Enforcement changed in 2025, when the federal non-enforcement policy was rescinded and English-language proficiency became a CVSA out-of-service condition. FMCSA proposed in August 2026 to codify that approach in the FMCSRs. | Interstate CMV drivers and their carriers | OOS enforcement live since Jun 25, 2025 · NPRM comments close Oct 9, 2026 · final rule pending |
| Cal/OSHA — Injury & Illness Prevention Program8 CCR §3203(a)(3); construction §1509StateSafety | Employers must communicate occupational-safety information "in a form readily understandable by all affected employees." Where English would not be understood, that can require communication in employees' own language. | All California employers | Current |
| California Prop 65 — warnings in other languages27 CCR §25602(d); 2025 amendmentsStateLabeling | If a consumer-product sign, label, or shelf tag presents information in a language other than English, the Proposition 65 warning must also appear in that language. OEHHA provides safe-harbor translations. Amendments adopted in 2025 also changed the short-form warning content, including the requirement to identify a listed chemical. | Companies selling consumer products in California | Current · full short-form compliance by Jan 1, 2028 |
| FMLA general notice — workforce language29 CFR 825.300(a)(4)Employment | If a significant portion of the workforce is not literate in English, the employer must provide the FMLA general notice in a language employees can read. | FMLA-covered employers (50+ employees) | Current |
| New York — Wage Theft Prevention Act noticesNY Labor Law §195(1)StateEmployment | Required pay notices must be provided in English and, when NYSDOL publishes a suitable template, in the employee's primary language. Templates are available in several languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Polish, and Russian. | All New York employers | Current |
| EEOC — English-only workplace rules29 CFR 1606.7; 2016 National Origin GuidanceEmployment | EEOC rules restrict blanket English-only workplace policies. Language restrictions generally need a business-necessity justification. Federal policy in this area has been under review since 2025, but the cited regulation remains in effect. | Employers with 15+ employees | Current, under post-2025 review |
| Executive Order 14224 — English as official languageEO 14224 (Mar 1, 2025), revoking EO 13166Context | The order designates English as the official language of the United States and revokes the 2000 executive order on language access for federally funded services. It changes federal policy, but it does not by itself repeal the statutory or regulatory duties listed elsewhere in this tracker. | Federal agencies (direct); context for everyone else | In effect since Mar 2025 |
| EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230Reg. (EU) 2023/1230, Art. 10, Annex III §1.7.4Export | The regulation replaces the Machinery Directive and requires instructions in a language that users can easily understand, as determined by the Member State where the machinery is made available. Digital instructions are permitted subject to the regulation's conditions, paper copies must be available on request, and the EU Declaration of Conformity is subject to language requirements as well. | Any manufacturer or importer placing machinery on the EU market — including US exporters | Applies Jan 20, 2027 — hard cutover, no transition |
| EU MDR / IVDR — device languagesMDR Art. 10(11); IVDR Art. 10(10); EC language tableExport | Medical-device labels and instructions for use must be supplied in the official EU language or languages required by each Member State where the device reaches the user. Requirements vary by country and, in some cases, by whether the device is intended for professional or lay use. | Device manufacturers CE-marking for the EU/EEA, incl. US exporters | Current · EUDAMED modules phasing in through 2026–2027 |
| Canada — bilingual consumer labelingConsumer Packaging & Labelling Regulations, s. 6Export | Mandatory information on prepackaged consumer-product labels, including product identity and net quantity, must generally appear in both English and French. The federal rule concerns required label information; it is not, by itself, a general bilingual-manual requirement. | Anyone selling prepackaged consumer products in Canada | Current |
| Quebec — Charter of the French Language (Bill 96)CFL s. 51; Regulation as amended June 2024Export | French is required on product inscriptions, packaging, and documents supplied with a product, including instructions and warranties, subject to the Charter and its regulations. The June 1, 2025 changes also tightened the treatment of generic or descriptive wording contained in non-French trademarks. | Anyone selling products in Quebec | In force · sell-through for pre-Jun 2025 stock ends Jun 1, 2027 |
| Mexico — NOM-050 general labelingNOM-050-SCFI-2004 (Secretaría de Economía / PROFECO)Export | Commercial information required under NOM-050 for products sold in Mexico must be presented in Spanish and be legible. Covered instructions, warnings, and warranties must also be provided in Spanish; other languages may accompany the Spanish content. | Products marketed in Mexico, incl. imports — verified at import and point of sale | Current |
Citations point to the official or primary source wherever available. Table reviewed for publication: September 21, 2026.
How to Use This Compliance Tracker
The quickest way to use the table is to start with what your company actually does. Employers with multilingual workforces should begin with the workplace-safety and employment rows. Manufacturers selling in the United States should review the product-labeling requirements, especially the rules that make English mandatory or create additional obligations when another language appears. Exporters should check the export-market rows early in a product launch, because language requirements often affect labels, manuals, IFUs, declarations, and packaging before the product can be placed on the market.
A useful distinction: many US rules begin by requiring information in English, then impose additional duties when another language is used. Export rules often work in the opposite direction: the destination market requires information in its own official language or languages. The same manual or label can therefore be subject to two different language frameworks.
Changelog
- v1.0 — September 21, 2026. Initial release with 23 federal, state, standards-based, and export-market entries. Sources include eCFR, OSHA, EPA, FDA, the Federal Register, EUR-Lex, Canadian legislation, and OEHHA. Deadline board extends through 2030.
We review the tracker quarterly, in March, June, September, and December. Material corrections made between scheduled reviews are added to this changelog.
Cite or link this tracker
You are welcome to cite or link to this tracker. For a specific legal requirement, cite the primary source linked in the table; for the compilation itself, suggested attribution is: US Language & Translation Compliance Tracker, Techniwords, 2026 — techniwords.us/resources/us-language-compliance-tracker/. To report a change or source that should be reviewed, write to info@techniwords.us.
This tracker is provided for general informational purposes and reflects the public sources reviewed on the date shown. It is not legal advice. For a compliance decision involving a specific product, workplace, or market, consult qualified counsel or the relevant regulator.
Compiled by the Techniwords team from the cited regulatory and official sources. Version 1.0, published September 21, 2026.
Compliance Tracker FAQ
Does OSHA require training documents to be translated?
OSHA's 2010 Training Standards Policy Statement says required training must use language and vocabulary employees can understand. That creates a comprehension obligation rather than a blanket rule that every training document must be translated. Depending on the workforce and the training method, employers may need translated materials, multilingual instruction, or both.
Do safety data sheets have to be in Spanish?
No. Under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard, safety data sheets and shipped-container labels must be in English, although additional languages are permitted. Separate rules may create other language obligations in particular contexts; EPA's PRIA 5 bilingual pesticide-labeling requirements are one example.
What changes for machinery exporters in January 2027?
Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 becomes applicable on January 20, 2027 and replaces the Machinery Directive. Manufacturers placing machinery on the EU market need to meet the Regulation's language rules for instructions and conformity documentation, as determined by the relevant Member State. The Regulation also sets conditions for digital instructions and access to paper copies.
Did the 2025 "English as official language" executive order remove translation requirements?
No. Executive Order 14224 changed federal language policy and revoked the earlier executive order on language access, but it did not automatically repeal separate statutes or regulations. The OSHA, FDA, EPA, state, and other requirements listed in this tracker therefore need to be assessed on their own legal basis.
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