San Francisco Language Access Ordinance Summary Report LAO 2020 - Jan 31 FINAL | Page 14
Looking Back
Reflecting on Previous Year Goals
Crisis and Emergency Response
In the past year, the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) has expanded its work
with the San Francisco Police Department, Department of Police Accountability, Department of
Emergency Management, and community stakeholders to set citywide standards and protocols
for language access and community engagement for first-responder agencies. Through this
process, these departments have improved and increased their translated public information
materials and have significantly expanded their language services budgets, with the Police
Department nearly doubling its budget from $418,000 to $750,000.
Creating a Community Language Bank
In 2019, OCEIA launched the much anticipated Community Language Bank Pilot program. The
first step was to recruit bilingual speakers for a 40-hour Community Interpreters Training in
order to train community members on the principles and techniques of providing interpretation
services. The first cohort to complete the training included 39 people covering 11 languages. After
shadowing OCEIA interpreters, these community interpreters have been deployed at community
outreach events, town hall meetings, and have supported education and engagement for City
departments.
Improving the Language Access Community Grants Program
In 2019, OCEIA renewed the Language Access Community Grants Program. In addition to
continuing to fund community outreach and education about language access rights, this new
grant cycle included funds for mentoring and support services for new interpreters, increased
funding to train more community-based interpreters in all languages, more community-based
translation and interpretation support, and a community language needs assessment study.
These augmentations are in direct response to the needs that both Language Access Summary
Reports have identified as well as the demand that OCEIA’s nonprofit partners see in their
communities.
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