The City of Dallas is stepping up its efforts to connect with the multicultural communities it represents by developing a plan to provide more services in languages other than English.
During a meeting of the City Council’s Workforce Education and Equity Committee on April 10, Dr. Lindsey Wilson, who leads the Office of Equity and Inclusion, presented a plan to increase bilingual staff and improve communication with residents.
Wilson identified several steps to making this happen.
The steps include developing formalized language access protocols with City departments, educating and training City employees on available language resources, and continuing to train, evaluate, and recertify City employees receiving language skills assignment pay (LSAP).
LSAP is a monthly bonus given to employees who are able to speak another language.
Wilson also highlighted the importance of launching a community ambassador program so as to incorporate feedback from those the City hopes will benefit from this initiative. It will also demonstrate to those not proficient in English that multilingual services are available to them.
Wilson referred to the plan as “the Welcoming Strategy 2.0.”
In fact, Dallas became the first ever “Welcoming City” to receive certification in Texas in 2019.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson applauded the City’s achievement of this title, which is awarded by the nonprofit Welcoming America.
“Cities are the economic engines of Texas, and I am proud we have passed the selection criteria to be recognized as a welcoming certified city,” said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, per a news release. “Dallas has a global economy and a vibrant culture highlighted by our diverse communities.”
Wilson noted during the April 10 meeting that the City’s work to better engage and support immigrant communities did not stop at this certification.
“It’s important to note that at that time, the certification was provisional based on the understanding that the city had to make strides to improve [its] language access efforts,” Wilson said, per KERA News.
According to Wilson’s presentation, one in four Dallas residents was born outside of the U.S., while 42% speak a language other than English at home.
While a large portion of Dallas residents speaks Spanish — 36% — over 90 languages are spoken, including Korean, Vietnamese, French, Swahili, and Chinese.
It is difficult to predict just how and when residents who aren’t proficient in English might need assistance.
With approximately 34% of adult Asians in Texas struggling to communicate effectively in English, per AAPI Data, it is likely that many have struggled to deal with this issue.
Breaking down linguistic barriers by developing more ways for non-proficient English speakers to engage with City services is the current aim.
For her part, Juanita Arévalo, president of the Dallas community organization Pleasant Grove Unidos, thinks that having more bilingual City employees is the key.
“We had to create our own spaces to inform our communities. Even today, not all the departments share their information in Spanish. Some do, but not all of them,” said Arévalo, per The Dallas Morning News.
At present, 187 employees in the Dallas Police Department and the Fire-Rescue Department receive LSAP for being bilingual. Across all other departments, 643 individuals have this certification.
City officials are trying to hire bilingual talent.
City departments now have distinct objectives to reach in order to improve engagement with non-English proficient residents.
For instance, the City’s nonemergency 311 customer service line has the goal of increasing the number of bilingual operators from 9% to 30% by December 2026.
Meanwhile, the Office of Emergency Management aims to translate all of its outreach materials into at least five different languages by December 2023.
