San Jose Standard

SAN JOSE, Calif. (April 29, 2024) – The San José City Clerk's Office has introduced the Wordly artificial intelligence (AI) translation platform to enhance language access at City Council meetings. The initiative, soft-launched at the April 16, 2024 Council Meeting, provides real-time AI transcription capabilities, offering immediate translation and captions to mobile phones, computers, and video displays.

Mayor Matt Mahan expressed his support for the new initiative, stating, "San José is a city of innovators, and our government should be too — we're continuing to test new tools that allow us to serve the public more effectively, efficiently and equitably." He also commended City Clerk Toni J. Taber for championing the AI solution, which provides real-time language translations for residents.

City Clerk Toni J. Taber shared her enthusiasm for the potential of AI in improving language access in government, saying, "We are excited about the future of AI and its integration in our accessibility initiative for improving language access in government." She emphasized the importance of innovative communication solutions in increasingly diverse cities and expressed hope that San José's initiative would inspire other large cities to adopt similar technologies for fostering inclusivity.

San José, a city with nearly 1 million residents, has a significant portion of its population (57%) speaking a language other than English at home, with Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, and Cantonese being the most common languages. The City invites community members to experience the benefits of live AI translation and captioning firsthand by attending upcoming City Council meetings.

To participate, community members are required to bring their own devices and earphones to listen to or read the translated content on their screens. For American Sign Language interpretation, requests must be made via email to the City Clerk's Office at least four days before the meeting.

The City of San José aims to lead by example in providing equitable access to information and creating a more inclusive environment through the integration of AI technology in language services.