Aldermen learned at a Human Services Committee meeting Monday that translating city documents would be more expensive than anticipated.

Some aldermen had hoped to translate documents to better reach the city’s refugee and Latinx communities. But Patricia Efiom, Evanston’s equity and empowerment coordinator, said it would cost about $1,200 to translate three pages of text into Spanish.

Efiom said staff wants City Council to establish a policy framework specifying target languages, as well as specific documents to include. She also said it should indicate what portion of Evanston’s website would be translated.

“We need a policy to give direction to city staff about when we do (translate), and we also have to begin to build that into the budget because it’s quite an expensive undertaking,” Efiom said.

She said she reached out to Evanston Township High School and was loaned the school’s translation resources, but said the city should get its own services.

Ald. Robin Rue Simmons (5th) said the city should employ people to directly engage with citizens who require translations instead of hiring translators to ensure that outreach efforts are working.

Rue Simmons said there has been some “disconnect” in communicating with different groups and that there is “room for opportunity” with this communication.

City manager Wally Bobkiewicz said it is important that all citizens are able to engage with the city without language barriers.

“We need to have (translators) in all parts of our organization,” Bobkiewicz said. “If we don’t have the employee, then we (should) have access to an employee or to a third party.”

Bobkiewicz said the city should be prepared to handle any language situation, and that it should have more than one accessible translator. He also said the city needs to balance the costs of printed translations and in-person translations.

Efiom said Evanston should maximize its resources, such as those available through Northwestern and the city’s Muslim community. She said just because someone speaks a certain language does not mean they necessarily have the ability to be a translator.

“The other issue is you have different dialects — even in Spanish you have Catalan, you have Spanish from Mexico,” Efiom said. “So you have to be clear that you are reaching everybody.”

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Twitter: @AmeliaLangas