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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The state of Maryland in the United States has officially added Yoruba Language to the learner’s permit knowledge test and the state’s driver’s manual.
The Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration disclosed in a statement that it will offer nine additional translations of the learner’s permit knowledge test and the state’s driver’s manual. The additional translations was rolled out this month (September).
Currently, there are only seven available languages to choose from.
The new languages being offered are:
- Yoruba (West Africa)
- Tagalog
- Amharic (Afro-Asiatic language)
- Arabic
- Russian
- Urdu
- Hindi
- Farsi
- Portuguese
- American Sign Language
According to Motor Vehicle Administrator, Chrissy Nizer, enhancing the accessibility for the driver’s knowledge test and study materials is critical in serving the state’s “linguistically diverse population.”
“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,” Nizer added.
To apply for a learner’s permit, applicants must pass the permit driver’s knowledge test which is comprised of 25 random questions that include topics such as roadway signage, rules of the road and more. Applicants must finish the test within 20 minutes with a score of 88% or better to pass