New York City Mayor Eric Adams has issued a directive to city agencies to evaluate how they can further incorporate language technologies into their day-to-day interactions with the public to improve communications with all New Yorkers, including non-English speaking communities.

As a start, the city is planning to install language apps on all city-owned smart devices – more than 100,000 in total – to make city services more accessible to New Yorkers as part of the City of New York’s push to become the most language-friendly city on the globe.

Language technology

The New York City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) will provide support to city agencies to facilitate downloads and usage of tools like Google Translate and Apple’s built-in Translate app, while continuing to evaluate advances in technology to ensure effective, safe, and quality communications.

Additionally, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) will immediately begin using language technology to communicate with New Yorkers they interact with on a day-to-day basis, while New York City Public Schools has begun development on Hello, a new app to help bridge language gaps that will be rolled out in the spring of 2026. 

“From the very start, our administration has continually expanded our use of technology to keep New Yorkers safer, stronger, and more informed, but to be a more inclusive and accessible city, we must also be the most language-friendly city on the globe”

To reach New Yorkers in the languages they speak, NYC311 already provides interpretation services in over 175 languages. Residents can text 311 at 311-692 to receive help through translation services. In 2024, these language resources were used in more than 320,000 customer interactions across 104 languages.

Additionally, MyCity, which connects New Yorkers to city services and benefits, is available in the city’s 10 most common languages.

“From the very start, our administration has continually expanded our use of technology to keep New Yorkers safer, stronger, and more informed, but to be a more inclusive and accessible city, we must also be the most language-friendly city on the globe,” said Adams. “Today, we are taking another step forward by expanding the use of language technology to improve communications with all New Yorkers, no matter what language they speak.