2025 NYC Language Access Campaign
LJC Reaches New Milestones in Language Equity!
In 2025, the Language Justice Collaborative (LJC) reached pivotal milestones in advancing language access across New York City. With new funding from the City, LJC expanded its interpreter training initiatives for languages of limited diffusion and launched NYC’s first-ever Community Legal Interpreter Bank, a transformative step in ensuring all New Yorkers can access help in their preferred language.
From Spanish to Creole to African and Asian languages, LJC and its partners trained over 85 new interpreters, resulting in over 4,000 hours of interpretation and translation services citywide. LJC 2025 expansion programs play a vital role in ensuring language is never a barrier to legal rights, healthcare, or essential services in New York City.
Interpreter Training Program Growth
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ACT/Afrilingual
o Recruited and trained a new cohort of interpreters for legal and community members
o Delivered 1000+ hours of interpretation
o Offered legal and cultural competency training to service providers
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NYIC
o Interpreter Bank (Launched March 27, 2025)
o Designed a 60-hour Community Interpreter course for Hostos Community College (includes 12 hours of medical interpretation training modules)
o 23 Spanish interpreters trained
o Offered 12-hour medical and 12-hour legal interpretation tracks
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AAF
o Started with 6 languages: Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Bengali, Urdu, Korean.
o 100+ applicants, 11+ certified, 19 completed medical interpretation
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Masa
o Trained 25 interpreters - 14 Indigenous languages and 11 Spanish speakers.
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HAUP
(First year with LJC)
o 20 Creole speakers in proficiency testing.
o 17 progressing through certification.
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I-ARC
(First year with LJC)
o Developed and facilitated 12 hours of legal interpretation instruction
LOOKING AHEAD
Investing in Language Justice for a Stronger New York City
In Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26), the Language Justice Collaborative is asking the City Council to renew $7.8M in funding to support our efforts to:
Bolster the NYC Interpreter Bank’s collaboration with City agencies and City-funded services providers as a hub for language access services for New Yorkers with Languages of Limited Diffusion (LLD)
Develop and launch language worker cooperatives for languages spoken in Latin America and Asia
Expand language services provided by Afrilingual to develop worker-owned language access services, provide interpretation, translation, and ESOL instruction
Support Haitian community-based organizations to develop Haitian language co-ops as part of the initiative
Build upon the existing partnership with City University of New York (CUNY) to launch new 60-hour certification courses for community interpreters