To increase civic engagement and government responsiveness, one San Antonio, Tex. City Council member has proposed stepping up Spanish translation services at city council meetings.
San Antonio will consider a line item in the city’s 2017 budget introduced by Councilman Robert Treviño that would require Spanish translation and interpretation at all city meetings.
“It’s kind of one of those no-brainers,” Treviño said. “For a city that is two-thirds Hispanic, there’s a feeling that you are excluding a certain population. It makes people feel awful and left out.”
The city does currently offer some translation services, but it is limited and requires 48 hours advanced notice. That was the case in Santa Ana, Calif. until 2013 when they too expanded their Spanish language services. See our article on that decision here.
San Antonio’s Neighborhoods and Livability Committee also voted to endorse the proposal Monday. The item is scheduled to go before the city council for approval Sept. 15.
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