Oregonians who are fluent in more than one language have an opportunity to play a direct role in strengthening the state’s election system as the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office seeks new volunteer members for its Translation Advisory Council, a program designed to help ensure voters with limited English proficiency receive clear, accurate and culturally appropriate election information.
Secretary of State Tobias Read is inviting residents from across Oregon to apply for upcoming openings on the council, with particular emphasis on individuals who can read and write Simplified and Traditional Chinese characters, Arabic, Iu Mien, Korean, Nepali, Japanese or Somali. While applications are accepted throughout the year, those interested in current vacancies are encouraged to submit their applications by July 15. Newly appointed members are expected to begin serving on Aug. 1.
The volunteer council was established in 2022 as part of Oregon’s continuing effort to make election materials more accessible to voters whose primary language is not English. One of the council’s most important responsibilities is reviewing translated versions of the state’s official voters’ pamphlets before each election. Members examine the materials not only for grammatical accuracy but also to ensure translations reflect appropriate cultural context, helping voters better understand ballot measures, candidate information and other election-related content.
As Oregon’s population has become increasingly diverse, providing reliable election information in multiple languages has become an important component of voter outreach. The Translation Advisory Council serves as an additional layer of quality assurance by combining professional language skills with firsthand knowledge of the communities the translations are intended to serve. This approach helps reduce misunderstandings that could occur through literal translation alone and promotes confidence that election information is both understandable and meaningful for voters from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
Secretary Read said the council’s work reflects the principle that every eligible Oregonian should have meaningful access to the electoral process, regardless of the language they speak at home. By reviewing translated materials before they are distributed statewide, volunteer members help remove language barriers that could otherwise prevent voters from making informed decisions at the ballot box.
Service on the council is open to Oregon residents who possess strong English-language skills in addition to proficiency in one of the languages supported by the program. Applicants are also expected to have civic experience and personal familiarity with one of the communities served through translated voters’ pamphlets, allowing them to provide practical insight into language usage, cultural nuances and communication styles that may not be evident through translation software or direct word-for-word interpretation.
Although the current recruitment effort is focused on filling immediate openings in several languages, the Secretary of State’s Office maintains applications on a rolling basis and continues building a pool of qualified volunteers for future vacancies. Individuals proficient in any of the council’s supported languages are encouraged to submit applications even if their language is not part of the current recruitment priority.
In addition to Arabic, Chinese, Iu Mien, Japanese, Korean, Nepali and Somali, the council also includes volunteers with proficiency in Farsi, French, German, Khmer, Marshallese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, Ukrainian and Vietnamese. Maintaining expertise across this broad range of languages allows the state to better serve Oregon’s multilingual communities during statewide and local elections.
Volunteer members participate before each election cycle, carefully reviewing translated election materials and providing recommendations to improve clarity, consistency and cultural accuracy. Their work supports the Secretary of State’s broader responsibility for administering elections and helping ensure official voting information remains accessible to as many eligible voters as possible.
The recruitment effort reflects Oregon’s ongoing commitment to expanding civic participation by recognizing the growing linguistic diversity of its residents. By combining language expertise with community experience, the Translation Advisory Council helps ensure that voters across the state can access election information they can trust and understand, regardless of the language they speak.
Oregonians interested in serving on the Translation Advisory Council may submit an application through the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office. Applications remain on file for future consideration, allowing qualified residents to be considered as additional volunteer opportunities become available throughout the year.