Lack of translation services limits civic participation for Stanislaus’ Spanish speakers

A meeting for farmworkers. A plan for economic development. A crucial contamination report.

These are just a few opportunities for community engagement in Stanislaus County — opportunities accessible primarily in English.

Despite comprising half the population, the county’s Latino community encounters obstacles in accessing information due to a shortage of translation services. This hampers participation in vital discussions about the county’s economic future, especially since more than 36% of residents are Spanish speakers.

During a Dec. 19 meeting of the county Board of Supervisors, the Latino Community Roundtable submitted an appeal, urging inclusive communication and representation in shaping the 2023-2028 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS).

The CEDS outlines the county’s economic trajectory and investment priorities. The appeal underscores the need for a Spanish translation of the document and a reassessment to accurately mirror the county’s diverse demographics.

Although a Spanish translation is not mandated by federal law, given its local funding, community members argue that its absence excludes the Spanish-speaking community from meaningful participation in shaping the county’s future.

“By not providing a Spanish translation of the CEDS, we are effectively excluding a substantial portion of our population from participating in a process that directly impacts their lives,” the Latino Community Roundtable’s letter reads.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting, approval of the CEDS was deferred because there is no imminent deadline. Supervisor Channce Condit proposed determining how many Spanish speakers there are to decide if there is a need for a translation.

“We have looked at how the County provides services to people with language access barriers and the County is in full compliance with all Federal and State laws,” Condit wrote in a statement to The Bee. Still, “As mentioned at the Board of Supervisors meeting, staff has been exploring this topic and researching what other counties are doing to see if there is something we can learn to enhance the work underway in Stanislaus County.”

A “RESOURCE INTENSIVE” SERVICE

While document translation by the county is generally available upon request, the process isn’t always simple. And advocates for Spanish speakers know their struggle for translation goes beyond Stanislaus government.

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) pinpointed a toxic site near a school on California Avenue in Riverbank that predominantly serves a Latino community. The investigation discovered elevated levels of lead and a banned pesticide, Chlordane, still present in the soil.

The DTSC’s report, which asked for community feedback, was exclusively presented in English and contained jargon, posing comprehension challenges even for those with some proficiency in the language.

Bianca Lopez, project director of Valley Improvements Project, sought the report in Spanish. While DTSC eventually provided the document in Spanish, Lopez said state staff said it would be a resource-intensive task that might cause delays in its process.

“Maybe not enough people are paying attention to these things because we’ve been left out historically,” Lopez said.

Johnny Garcia, president of the Stanislaus County Latino Chamber of Commerce, agrees that more could be done to provide accessibility to the Spanish-speaking community.

However, he acknowledges that the government moves slowly and should be given some grace. “People in the government are really trying and do want to make a difference, but they have to jump through hoops as well,” Garcia said.

UNPAID LABOR FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS

Often, the burden of translating and getting information to the community falls to nonprofits and grass-roots organizations.

At the Board of Supervisors meeting, Lopez noted that a PowerPoint presentation about housing in Stanislaus County, which came before the public comment, was exclusively in English.

Chief Executive Officer Jody Hayes said a Spanish version of the presentation is online and encouraged her to share the link.

“You rely on community organizations to reach out to our community members, to the people we serve, to the people that you should be serving,” Lopez said.

Due to their distrust in the government, Garcia said some communities prefer relying on neighborhood organizations for information and support.

There are many resources out there that people might not know about so he said community groups should continue their efforts to get the word out.

LEAVING OUT A COMMUNITY

Recently, the Central Valley Opportunity Center organized a Farmworker Roundtable meeting to outline the planned allocation of $1 million for both documented and undocumented farmworkers. Several attendees were Spanish speakers.

Although there was a Spanish interpreter present, the slides and documents were in English only, said John Mataka, a community advocate from Grayson.

There were plans to redo the roundtable as a Spanish-language event, but it has since been canceled and not rescheduled. Lopez said she keeps getting calls from the farmworkers who are left in limbo.

Mataka, 72, said he’s observed that many community members are uninformed about what is going on in the county. More accessibility would make people more comfortable in participating in the decision-making process, he said.

“People have the right to know about these big projects, where the money is going, how it’s going to affect them in the appropriate language so they can make a judgment in one way or the other,” Mataka said.

A RIGHT TO ACCESSIBILITY

The absence of translation may lead to a lack of crucial information about the community’s future, potentially raising civil rights concerns.

In 2009, the nonprofit organization Greenaction discovered that the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority (SVSWA) was planning a waste-to-energy facility, using Plasco’s plasma arc technology, in Gonzales. The predominantly Latino community was not informed.

Greenaction intervened, revealing the potential environmental and health risks of the project, and organized protests, meetings and a civil rights complaint.

The complaint alleged that SVSWA failed “to provide Spanish translations of key documents necessary to participate in the public comment process related to the Plasco proposal, as well as failing to make its website accessible to Spanish speakers.”

After legislative challenges and community efforts, the project was abandoned in 2015.

Mataka believes the same can be applied to Stanislaus County if not enough effort is made to keep the Spanish-speaking community informed. “Most of the time, the county will only do things that need to be done if you either sue them or you affect the money that they receive,” he said. “You hit them in the pocketbook or you take them to court.”

SOLUTIONS

There are ways to encourage civic engagement among Spanish-speaking communities beyond increasing translation services.

Karlha Arias, president of the Latino Community Roundtable, said the county should invest in community outreach workers. She said that while nonprofit organizations play a valuable role in keeping the community informed, the responsibility for this task should rest with the county.

Mataka suggests holding meetings in various locations throughout the county. He said most Latinos don’t frequent or feel comfortable going to downtown Modesto and would be more likely to participate in meetings that were in their neighborhoods.

Other counties, including those in the Bay Area, have been doing this for years, so it shouldn’t be complicated, he said. “Something’s going to have to change. They can do it the easy way or the hard way,” Mataka said. “It’s up to them to come to that point.”