That’s according to a fresh report from Wordly, an AI translation service used by public agencies.
The survey findings from Wordly, combined with experiences from one of its larger clients, paints a useful picture of the state of public-sector translation.
The company found that 66 percent of local governments rely on bilingual staff, while 31 percent use AI tools for translation.
The findings were based on survey responses from 117 local public agencies of various sizes, though almost half of them had populations between 50,000 and 300,000.
San Jose, Calif., is one of the cities that has shifted from in-person interpreters to Wordly’s AI translation tool, a move that, according to the company, has reduced costs and expanded access for people who don’t speak English or don’t speak it well.
The survey also found that local governments tend to improve their translation capabilities mainly to widen access to permitting and other services, to increase civic participation at meetings and other events, and for public safety alerts and communications.
In Washoe County, Nev. — home to Reno — officials use the Wordly AI tech mainly for public meetings, according to Elizabeth Jourdin, an HR manager.
That said, the tool also helps the county onboard new employees who are hard of hearing, train case management professionals who are “monolingual,” provide “language access during marriage ceremonies,” support food safety programs for restaurant owners, and boost customer service at front desk counters in county departments, she told Government Technology via email.
Spanish stands as the county’s primary language need besides English, Jourdin said, though the area’s demographics are changing as the county attracts more people who speak such languages as Korean, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Hindi, Urdu and others.
The county has even bigger plans when it comes to translation. It's working from what she called a “multi-year language access policy which includes enhancing staff support, testing and training to utilize bilingual skillset.”
One thing learned during the effort is that officials should have a broad view of the challenges that come with different languages and translation.
“One of the greatest lessons we learned is that there is not a ‘one-size-fits-all solution’ for our community, or employees,” she said. “The needs of our employees and community occur on a spectrum, and we need to be prepared to offer multiple solutions.”
