Large City Government Case Study

Why are non-English-speaking residents often excluded from public meetings?

Even when cities prioritize language access, traditional interpretation can leave residents on the outside. At council and community meetings in this city of nearly one million, Spanish-speaking residents were often placed in separate rooms for interpretation, creating physical and social barriers to full participation. The broader reliance on in-person interpreters was costly, inefficient, and inflexible, and with multiple languages in demand, translation costs reached hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Even then, many residents still lacked adequate access, especially for last-minute or less common language needs.

As one of the nation's most diverse metropolitan areas, the city has over half of its residents speaking a language other than English at home, including Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Cantonese, with a strong immigrant presence from Latin America and Asia. To improve engagement, city officials began exploring a more modern, cost-effective approach to language access, recognizing that the old system could no longer meet the city's growing needs.

Can a city provide on-demand translation in any language without advance scheduling?

Yes. In 2023, the city adopted Wordly, a live translation platform that is always available on demand, requiring no advance scheduling or coordination. It provides instant language support regardless of the language spoken or the size of the meeting, enabling real-time access to dozens of languages during city council and community meetings and ensuring no resident is excluded due to language barriers or last-minute translation needs. This marked a significant shift from the traditional reliance on in-person interpreters, which had been costly, inflexible, and logistically complex.

Wordly also provided a distinct advantage in neutrality, translating only what was said without adding opinion or bias, which created a more transparent and trustworthy experience for residents. With context-aware translation and a custom glossary, the city could fine-tune translations to include local terminology, community organization names, and public officials, enhancing both accuracy and public trust. By deploying Wordly, the city engaged a linguistically diverse population while reducing translation costs, a meaningful step toward more inclusive and equitable civic participation.

Can a city reduce translation costs while reaching more residents?

The adoption of Wordly’s government translation solution marked a turning point in how the city connects with its diverse community. What was once a costly, fragmented, and exclusionary system transformed into a model of accessible, efficient, and inclusive civic engagement.

• Significant Cost Savings: Replacing in-person interpreters with AI translation cut language access costs by over two-thirds, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars while improving service.‍
• More Inclusive Engagement: AI translation removed barriers, allowing non-English speakers to participate in meetings side-by-side and in real time.‍
• Rapid Growth in Spanish Participation: Spanish-language livestreams and digital channels saw a 300% increase in use, reflecting greater trust and inclusion.‍
• On-Demand Language Support: Instant access to 60+ languages eliminated scheduling challenges and ensured no one was excluded, even for last-minute needs.‍
• Smarter, Trusted Translations: Custom glossaries improved translation accuracy and cultural relevance by including local terms and official titles.

This approach not only cut costs but also created a more inclusive, equitable civic experience by amplifying diverse community voices.

Future: Expanding AI Translation and Strengthening Community Partnerships

Building on this success, the city plans to expand real-time translation to additional departments and community meetings. Quarterly feedback will be conducted, including reviews with community stakeholders to monitor quality, guide enhancements, and foster broad adoption as part of its commitment to equity and innovation.

About Wordly

Wordly is the pioneer and leader in live interpretation, providing a high-quality, secure, easy-to-use, and affordable live AI translation and caption solution for communicating across multiple languages. Wordly translates dozens of languages in real time, making in-person and virtual meetings and events more inclusive, accessible, and engaging.

Its SaaS platform meets enterprise-grade security and privacy standards and eliminates the need for human interpreters or special equipment. Millions of users across thousands of organizations rely on Wordly to make their events and meetings accessible to everyone.

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