Context
The DC Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs connects District government with communities diverse in nationality, age, migration experience, digital access, and information needs. My role sits at the intersection of institutional communication, outreach, digital content, events, and relationships with community organizations.
Communication ecosystem
The challenge
Government information can be technically correct and still fail to connect. The work required translating institutional priorities into understandable messages, avoiding literal translations, maintaining consistency across channels, and responding quickly when information was urgent or sensitive.
My responsibility
As Community Outreach Specialist, I help develop communication and promotion plans, create bilingual digital content, adapt mayoral and institutional messages, coordinate with organizations and agencies, support events, and maintain consistency in public-facing communication.
How I approached it
Understand the purpose and the audience
Before creating a piece, I identify what the institution needs to communicate, what the community needs to know, what action is expected, and what cultural or linguistic context matters.
Adapt, not simply translate
The objective is to preserve institutional intent while making the message natural, understandable, and relevant in Spanish.
Integrate channels
Campaigns connect social media, web content, newsletters, printed materials, videos, partners, and community events.
Measure and adjust
Digital performance and audience response help identify which formats and ways of presenting information generate stronger interest.
What changed
Communication became more than information distribution. It functioned as a tool for connection, access, and participation—helping people understand why information matters and what action they can take.
What I learned
Public communication creates value when information is not only available, but understandable, relevant, and accessible.