Providing Accuracy in Translations for Toronto's Diverse Communities - by Mayor John Tory, seconded by Councillor James Pasternak

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The decision

2019-12-17 · Toronto City Council · adopted

As filed

City Council on December 17 and 18, 2019, adopted the following: 1. City Council reaffirm the importance of providing critical information to residents in languages other than English to Toronto's diverse communities and the need for that language to be accurate. 2. City Council request the apology for the errors be issued by the City in the languages that were incorrectly printed. 3. City Council request the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure and Development Services to report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on steps taken to ensure that all future translations are verified.

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4. City Council request Strategic Communications to consider ways to have members of each community proofread translated information before it is made public.

On the agenda

As the city filed it

It has been brought to the City's attention that there are issues with the Tamil translation in the 2020 Waste Collection Calendars, which were recently mailed to all residents in Toronto. This follows a similarly problematic Tamil translation of a phrase in a recent Transportation Services' direct mail piece. The translation for both pieces was done by the City's contracted service provider. According to City staff, investigation into the situation confirmed that the translations were correct when provided, and that the text became corrupted when the translations were entered into the design layouts.

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Through the investigation, it was discovered that there are also issues with the Farsi translation in the Waste Collection Calendars. Toronto is the most diverse City in the world. Our City's motto is, 'Diversity Our Strength' so it is crucial that our communications with our diverse communities are accurate. The City of Toronto recognizes that providing information in languages other than English allows diverse communities to better access City services and programs, helps improve engagement with the City, and fosters inclusion for residents, groups and organizations. The City has apologized for the errors and is immediately taking the necessary steps to ensure that translations are verified in final layout prior to being printed.

Staff recommended

Mayor John Tory, seconded by Councillor James Pasternak, recommends that: 1. City Council reaffirm the importance of providing critical information to residents in languages other than English to Toronto's diverse communities and the need for that language to be accurate. 2. City Council request the apology for the errors be issued by the City in the languages that were incorrectly printed. 3. City Council request the Deputy City Manager, Infrastructure and Development Services to report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on steps taken to ensure that all future translations are verified.

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4. City Council request Strategic Communications to consider ways to have members of each community proofread translated information before it is made public.

On the record

The item as the City filed it

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