LYNN — The city is looking for translators who will offer free language assistance to individuals who have limited English proficiency, to help the city communicate access to all health care and important city services.
After research and working with the city’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Bertino, Lynn’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer Faustina Cuevas was able to get the city to commit $800,000 to a new Language Engagement Specialist Initiative.
The money will pay salaries for experienced translators who will be fluent in Arabic, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Portuguese, and Spanish.
“Addressing language-access needs in a community that speaks well over 50 languages is critical for the success and well-being of all Lynn residents,” Cuevas said. “This pilot is hopefully the first step in removing barriers to accessing city services and other important community resources.”
The city is partnering with the New American Center, but is having trouble finding translators for both Khmer and Portuguese.
A job description has been created and sent out in search of people to fill these roles, with preference of someone from Lynn or at minimum, someone who has worked in Lynn or a similar, nearby community and understands the demographics and needs.
The position requires 15 to 30 hours a week, both in person and virtual, with a rate of $25 per hour.
In this position, translators will share information about city services and opportunities for citizen engagement, build connections and trust with community members, and engage community members in civic dialogues and public discussions.
Translators will help on an as-needed basis, and also assist with the city’s COVID outreach efforts and provide educational material on testing and vaccine information in the resident’s native language.
“In a few weeks we hope to have the Arabic, Haitian Creole and Spanish translators in place and will be publicizing that information to the community,” Cuevas said.
Candidates for the position must be able to offer oral and written translations to residents, answer calls and emails and direct residents to appropriate services, use a data collection system to quantify resident outreach, manage social-media outlets to engage the community and share information, provide language support to staff members during intake interviews, accompany clients to appointments with service providers and employers, translate educational and outreach materials, and be on call.
Candidates must also have a high-school diploma or equivalent, be a native speaker of the language they are applying for, be fluent in English, have a flexible schedule, and have experience in being a translator and handling sensitive information while maintaining confidentiality.
Anyone interested should send their updated resume to Natasha Soolkin, executive director of the New American Center, at [email protected].
