Limited English proficiency
![A physician assistant with the Utah State Medical Command, Utah Army National Guard, speaks to an interpreter while working at a humanitarian civic assistance.](/Images/godic/202501/24/erson,_center,_a_physician_assistant_with_the_Utah_State_Medical_Command,_Utah_Army_National_Guard,_speaks_to_an_interpreter_while_working_at_a_humanitarian_civic_assistance_120413-A-QD330-1093558.jpg")
Limited English proficiency (LEP) is a term used in the United States that refers to a person who is not fluent in the English language, often because it is not their native language. Both LEP and English-language learner (ELL) are terms used by the Office for Civil Rights, a sub-agency of the U.S. Department of Education.