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Hartford council tests new translation app and plans to replace Zoom for public meetings

5941700 ยท October 9, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Council President Shirley Surgeon said the city is testing a translation service that can translate dozens of languages and that the council plans to phase out Zoom for public meetings; officials said home viewers cannot yet see translations on HBA TV and mobile users must install an app to access them.

Council President Shirley Surgeon told the public at the start of the meeting that the city is testing a translation service for public comment that she said can translate as many as 80 languages and that the council will phase out Zoom for its hybrid meetings.

"Right now, we're still hiring a couple of the kinks out of it... it can translate up to 80 different languages," Surgeon said, and she invited bilingual community members to volunteer to help test the service in coming weeks.

Council members and staff clarified how remote viewers will access translations. A staff member told the council that, for now, the live HBA TV broadcast will not display translations "yet," and that mobile users will need to download a supported app and choose their preferred language on their device to receive the translation. The council and staff said they will prepare documentation and outreach explaining how to use the service.

When asked by Councilman T.J. Clark whether the Zoom platform will be retired, Surgeon replied it is "safe to say that," and said the council will conduct education and outreach as it transitions to the new platform.

No formal policy or vote was taken at the meeting; staff said the system remains in testing and that additional public education will be required before translation is widely available to viewers at home.