Government
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) — which runs Muni, manages the city’s streets, and oversees parking and taxis — has relied on Bilingva as its language partner since 2019, translating into San Francisco’s core Title VI languages: Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Filipino.
Translating the projects that reshape San Francisco’s streets
When SFMTA rolls out a major infrastructure or policy change, the public-facing materials go out in all five languages. Bilingva has translated public notices, signage, and outreach materials for the agency’s Slow Streets program and the Van Ness Avenue repaving project — two of the highest-visibility undertakings in the city’s transportation history. It’s Title VI language access applied at the scale a citywide transit agency demands.
Urgent and emergency notices, in 24 hours or less
Transit doesn’t run on a translation team’s schedule. Standard delivery for SFMTA is 24 hours or less, and for a genuine emergency — a service disruption, a safety alert, anything riders need to know right away — Bilingva can turn it around the same day.
ASL and interpreting where the public shows up
Bilingva provides ASL interpreting and spoken-language interpreting for SFMTA’s community meetings — including at the agency’s Potrero Yard facility — and for the public hearings where San Franciscans weigh in on route planning and service changes.
Bilingva was also the ASL interpreting partner for Accessible Futures: Sharing. Listening. Learning., the Bay Area’s first disability-led regional conference. Hosted by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) over two days in June 2025 at the Bay Area Metro Center, the conference drew advocates, community members, and policymakers from all nine Bay Area counties to address housing, transportation, and other issues centered on the experiences of people with disabilities. Multiple Bilingva ASL interpreters covered the main sessions and simultaneous breakouts across both days — read more about that engagement.
Running language access for a citywide transit agency — translation, ASL and spoken-language interpreting, and emergency turnaround from a single vendor? Bilingva has served California government since 2005. WOSB-certified, SAM.gov registered. SFMTA is one of more than 90% of City & County of San Francisco departments Bilingva supports — see the full citywide partnership.