A clear specification of risks and benefits is needed. All physical, psychological, social, and economic risks should be included in the consent form. Researchers should try to offer an estimate of the likelihood of a given risk, and should let subjects know what will be done to mitigate or address any injury or discomfort. Informing subjects of any safety precautions or of how their distress will be handled is appropriate and beneficial in informed consent. Your research subjects need to understand the consent forms.
Informed consent implies understanding.
Asking someone to complete a consent form in English when they only read Spanish or Russian or some other language is inappropriate. Researchers when enrolling subjects in a study need to ascertain whether the potential participants are comfortable with English, before using English consent forms. The IRB proposal should include the translations of the consent forms into any language necessary to conduct the proposed research. The concern is not just with immigrants, either. Millions of American adults have trouble reading even moderately difficult messages, and even well educated adults can have trouble with complex, technical materials.