Item Number: 11b_supp
Meeting Date: March 24, 2026

LANGUAGE ACCESS
MARCH 2026

Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Language Access Commitments
• Title VI of the Federal Civil Rights
Act of 1964
• FAA Regulations
• Port of Seattle Commission
Language Access ORDER 2023-05
• Port of Seattle RAISE values and
commitment to equity

2

Port of Seattle Commission Language Access ORDER 2023-05
Assess Current State

Conducted a port-wide review of language
access across public documents, signage,
websites, and services.

Engage Community

Gathered input through surveys and
nonprofit community partners.

Build Implementation Framework

Developed a Language Access Guidance
Manual

Establish Multilingual Compensation
Model

Created a compensation structure for
employees providing interpretation and
translation.
3

High-Level Timeline & Milestones

2023

2024

2025

2026

• Order Adopted: Developed a
port-wide policy on language
access.
• Language Access
Assessment:
Discovery/Analysis Phase
• Language Access Cohort
Created

• Language Access Guidance
Manual: Design, Development
Started
• Language Access Assessment:
Findings Presented to
Commission
• Extension on Order 2023-05
Granted to Feb. 2026
• Deliverables Completed:
Language Access Assessment
(Port-wide)
Language Access Community
Survey
Assessment of Aviation Division
Commission Briefing

• Deliverables Completed
Technical Support & Training
Language Access Department
Plans & Goals
Language Access Cohort
Convenings
Language Access Guidance
Manual Development
Compensation Policy for
Multilingual Compensation
Program

• Commission Presentation &
Implementation Plan
Language Access Guidance
Manual & Implementation
HR Multilingual Compensation
Model & Workplan
Departmental Language Access
Plans

4

Language Access Guidance Manual
Guidance Manual Content

Interpretation | Translation Requests
Completed Examples

How to Access Services
• Interpretation, translation, request
processes, quality assurance, and key
contacts.

On-Demand Virtual
Queue Overview

SEA Customer Care
Live Chat

Notice of Seizure
Form

TNC Driver Survey

Aviation Signage -
FIFA and General
Wayfinding

SEA STS Train
Station Digital
Signage Updates

How to Implement
• Department planning templates, training,
outreach guidance, and partnership
strategy.
How We Ensure Accountability
• Complaint process, monitoring & evaluation,
legal standards, and implementation tools.
IAF Passenger Video
Script
5

Language Access Guidance Manual Next Steps
Language Access GM SharePoint
Page

Q1 2026 | Infrastructure
Goal: Remove access barriers and stand-up
foundational tools

Language Access Dashboards

Q2 2026 | Awareness & Capacity Building
Goal: Build shared understanding and practical
confidence

Q3/Q4 2026 | Adoption & Evaluation
Goal: Normalize usage and sustain behavior
change
6

Multilingual Compensation Plan & Next Steps
Compensation Model

Commission
Order 2023-05

Eligible Port
Roles Identified

Tier 1
• Spanish
Tier 2
• Amharic
• ASL
• Chinese
• Japanese
• Korean
• Somali
• Tagalog
• Vietnamese

Phase One
OEDI identified the following roles:
• Airport Customer Service Representative I &
II
• Harbor Customer Service Specialist (General
& Fishing)
• Customer Communications Representative
• On-Call SEA Customer Support
Representative
HR identified the following roles:
• Landside Transportation Specialist
• Landside Cruise Transportation Coordinator

Port of Seattle
Top 9 Languages

Roles Identified

Language Access Assessment March 2024

Qualification
Criteria

Proficiency Testing gauges the level of fluency in
English or another language in a general
context.

Language
Proficiency

Phase One - Non-Represented Roles
Phase Two - Expand to Represented Roles
7

Annual Departmental Language Access Plans
Language Access Goals & Guidance
STEP ONE

Define Your Goals - Consider your department's
work, key audiences, the needs of your partners, and
your ability to track and measure a goal's progress

STEP TWO

Estimate Your Costs - Consider the resources you
will need to achieve your goals and how you can
partner with OEDI

STEP THREE

Submit Your Plan and KPIs - Use a S.M.A.R.T.
framework to create key performance indicators for
your goals

8

2026 Departmental Language Access Plans

Central Procurement Office

Aviation Customer Service

Tourism

9

Language Access in Action
Translation in top 5+ Port Languages

Examples include: Spanish, Chinese Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Vietnamese, French, Ukrainian, Arabic, Khmer, German, Portuguese, Amharic, Tagalog

FIFA World Cup
Ensuring Language Accessibility
for all passengers across the
Puget Sound Region.
•
•
•

Language Access Cohort
(Internal)
Regional Passenger Experience
Workgroup (External)
WSDOT Language Access
Workgroup (External)

General
Wayfinding

Anti-Human
Trafficking

Updating and expanding
Language Accessibility for SEA
wayfinding.

Updating and expanding
Language Accessibility for Antihuman trafficking initiatives.

•

•

Terminal Efficiency Workgroup
(Internal)

AHT Workgroup (Internal)

Title VI
Updating and preparing for Title
VI Plan renewal, 2026.
Partnering with AV and Maritime
Leaders.
•
•

Language Access Cohort (Internal)
Title VI Workgroup (Internal)

10

Questions?

11