Social Security is Translating More Materials in Native Languages
By Renee Ferguson, Director of Native American Partnerships, Office of the Commissioner / November 14, 2024
The loss of Native languages in this country is a direct result of the Indian Boarding School System run by the federal government for 150 years. (Federal Investigative Report findings.) In October 2024, President Joe Biden issued a “long overdue” formal apology for the abuse suffered by Native children forced to attend Indian boarding schools. Children were forbidden from speaking their Native languages and were harshly punished if they disobeyed.
National revitalization efforts to revive and preserve Native languages are showing promising results, leading to an increase in the use of Native languages.
We now translate, print, and distribute materials in appropriate Social Security offices in Yup’ik and Diné, 2 Native languages. Our offices nationwide display posters with the message, “Share Your Race and Ethnicity & Help Us Improve Service and Access”. The poster is translated into 24 languages, including Yup’ik and Diné.
More recently, our Office of Native American Partnerships is using a contract managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to translate more publications into Yu’pik (Central dialect) and Diné, plus 3 other Native languages:
Cherokee (Western dialect)
Ojibwe (Western dialect)
Lakota
The estimated total population in Navajo Nation (reservation and off-reservation trust land) is 165,000, according to 2020 Census data. Currently we have 10 employees certified as Navajo interpreters and translators. We recognize the need to provide interpreters and translators in more Native languages, and we are actively seeking suggestions through Tribal Consultation. Our goal is to build new partnerships with third-party organizations to recruit and hire bilingual employees who will provide customer service support in Native languages.
Note: We provide free interpreter services in many languages, including Native languages, over the phone and in Social Security offices. For details, visit our Multilanguage Gateway.