The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs aims to promote community well-being, economic development, and the integration of immigrant communities by identifying the needs and opportunities that immigrants bring to our city and to develop public-private partnerships to strengthen the development of these communities. Language access is key to ensuring that immigrants who speak languages other than English have full access to Baltimore City services. 

The Key Players for Language Access in Baltimore City

Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
MIMA is responsible for overseeing the implementation of language access in Baltimore City. The language access initiative aims to provide equitable access to individuals in the City who are limited English proficient (LEP) and individuals who speak a language other than English at home. MIMA provides guidance and technical assistance to City agencies to ensure that agencies have the necessary resources such as access to telephonic interpretation, ability to request translations of documents, training to serve LEP constituents.

Language liaisons in agencies
Language Access Liaisons are essential to the planning and implementation of language access within the agency. Language Access Liaisons are appointed by each agency director to work in close collaboration with MIMA to identify and plan for the agency’s language access needs. The Language Access Liaisons are the first point of contact for agency employees for any language access related issues.

City employees in agencies 
City employees interact with LEP individuals on a daily basis, whether through call centers, community outreach, or other in-person service locations. These employees need language access training and tools like telephonic interpretation to have successful interactions with speakers of other languages.

Why language access matters

In the United States where the predominant language is English, speakers of other languages face significant barriers as they navigate daily life. Language assistance enables speakers of other languages to equitably access City services and programs. Language access isn’t special treatment - it affords speakers of other languages the same level of access granted to English speakers in Baltimore City.

Mandated by Federal Law

• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Executive Order 13166, titled, “Improving Access to Services by Persons with Limited English Proficiency,”

Our responsibility as a Welcoming City

As City of Baltimore employees, we have a responsibility to serve all residents of Baltimore, including those who speak languages other than English.

Our new reality in Baltimore

Immigrants and speakers of other languages are a growing population in Baltimore City, as shown in our dashboard. These populations help to mitigate the City’s overall population loss, and as these populations grow, City employees will need to be increasingly prepared to provide services in languages other than English.