L.B. launches on-demand translation service

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The city recently entered into an agreement with LanguageLine Solutions — a worldwide leader in the language services industry that offers live, on-demand translations in more than 200 languages — in accordance with the official Language Access Policy that was established earlier this year to provide appropriate translation and interpretation services for residents with limited English proficiency.

The city’s website, www.longbeachny.gov, can now be easily translated into numerous languages at the click of a mouse and the Long Beach Response mobile app can also be translated to the default language set on the device its being used on. This will allow a residents to report an issue in Spanish and have the city receive it fully translated into English, followed by a response translated back into Spanish.

Documents and messages containing vital information will be translated and made available to residents who need that information.

Currently, the city contracts with Language Line, a phone service which provides on-the-spot translation of conversations from English to multiple languages, and the city’s emergency notification system allows users to receive emergency alerts in Spanish. “Communicating to all of our residents in the best way possible is extremely important to this City Council,” said Council President Len Torres. “This policy ensures that all folks in our community will be reached, particularly in emergency situations.”