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Cambridge

Supporting Language Justice

Thursday, May 19, 2022
The City continues its work to support language justice, the right to understand and be understood in the language in which a person is most comfortable. Since the fall of 2020, the Family Policy Council has been researching and focusing on language justice in a number of ways: reviewing Cambridge demographic data, forming the Language Justice Working Group, conducting surveys of City departments and more than 20 focus groups with community members, learning from other communities, and drafting policies and resource materials. The Family Policy Council’s work demonstrates that dedicated staff, funding, and supportive resources like training, are key to expanding language justice.

The City has committed to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to further support language justice efforts, including computer- assisted translation technology, translation, and interpretation costs. The FY23 budget includes funding for a full-time Language Access Manager in the Cambridge Human Rights Commission’s new Language Justice Division. This position will provide support and collaborate across City departments to make the City’s wealth of information and resources more accessible to all. In addition, the Language Access Manager will further refine and operationalize the Family Policy Council’s work to date, including conducting assessments of each department’s strengths and needs; producing centralized tools for City staff, such as workflows, written guides, “how-to” instructions, and training; increasing cohesion and uniformity in City practices by sharing data, resources, and best practices; and developing a Language Access Plan.

The City’s language justice work will remain focused on continuous improvement, recognizing that the cultural, educational, and technical aspects of language justice are complex and can present certain challenges.
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