LYNN— In an effort to expand language access at City Hall, the Mayor’s Office purchased 100 simultaneous interpretation devices to be used for real-time translation at public events, and, soon, to be lent out to local organizations.
In Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer Faustina Cuevas’ office, she opened a hard shell case revealing an array of small, pager-like, handheld devices. Each translation device, Cuevas explained, can be wired to a headset and set to four different language channels. She said that the city’s use of this equipment will shorten the duration of public hearings by eliminating the need to pause intermittently during a speech, translating each portion.
“It allows the meetings to be shorter, because you’re not having to go back and forth between languages. What happens is, the interpreter puts on this headset, and then everyone else gets whoever needs the interpretation,” Cuevas said. “Whoever needs interpretation will put this headset on, they go ahead and plug this in, they put this headpiece on both ears, and then they’re able to get, in real time, the interpretation.”
The devices, which Cuevas said, came in around two weeks ago, costing approximately $10,000, were recommended months ago by the local activist organization Lynn United for Change. Cuevas said that while the city is currently using the devices for public municipal meetings and hearings, the Mayor’s Office is in the process of creating a program allowing local businesses and organizations to rent the equipment.
“We understand that there’s a need not only to have the equipment, but to also make this accessible to other organizations that might need it for their own community meetings,” Cuevas said. “We are looking into creating a process where organizations will be able to rent out the equipment, [but] we’re not quite there yet. We’re still investigating what the best mechanism to do that is, but hopefully we’re going to get there soon.”
The city, this year, worked toward bridging the language barriers through the hiring of language interpreters across six different languages: Arabic, Bengali, Khmer, Haitian Creole, Spanish and Portuguese. Cuevas said that the city’s latest step toward language access, using simultaneous interpretation, allows those who do not speak English to understand more subtle forms of communication, such as banter between speakers and audience members.
“Now they’re able to hear even the chatter that’s going on in English between the audience and the mayor. The interpreter was translating that, so they’re able to receive all the information at the same time as everyone else, which is part of inclusion — trying to make people feel included, like they’re part of something.”
Mayor Jared Nicholson echoed Cuevas’ remarks, saying, in a written statement that the new equipment will help city officials communicate with their constituents more equitably.
“Having simultaneous interpretation equipment is transforming our ability to communicate and share information with our residents,” Nicholson said. “Being able to hold community meetings in multiple languages plays an important role in encouraging our residents to share their input and make their voices heard, as well as [it] ensures that the City remains committed to both equity and accessibility.”
Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at [email protected]
