The San José City Clerk’s Office soft-launched the Wordly artificial intelligence (AI) translation platform at the April 16, 2024, Council Meeting. The platform uses real-time AI transcription capabilities and provides immediate translation and captions to mobile phones, computers and video displays for more than 50 different languages.
“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,” said Mayor Matt Mahan. “I want to thank the Clerk for championing an AI solution offering real-time language translations of City Council meetings for our residents.”
Wordly, an AI language services company, allows people to understand and participate in local governance in their native language. The solution also enables community members who prefer reading captions to actively participate in meetings.
“We are excited about the future of AI and its integration in our accessibility initiative for improving language access in government,” said City Clerk Toni J. Taber. “As cities become more diverse, the need for innovations in communication will only continue to grow. The City of San José hopes to inspire other large cities to adopt similar technologies that provide equitable access to information and foster a more inclusive environment.”
San José is home to nearly 1 million people, of whom 57% speak a language other than English at home. Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin and Cantonese are the most common languages spoken in the City.
The City of San José invites community members to experience the benefits of live AI translation and captioning firsthand by attending upcoming City Council meetings. The City Council meets most Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. at the San José City Hall Council Chambers. Community members must bring their own devices and earphones to listen to or read the words on their device screens. Interpretation in American Sign Language must be requested via email to the City Clerk’s Office (city.clerk@sanjoseca.gov) at least four days before the meeting.
About the City of San José
With almost 1 million residents, San José is one of the most diverse large cities in the United States and is Northern California’s largest city and the 12th largest city in the nation. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world.