About BanchaLenguas Language Justice Collective
BanchaLenguas is a worker-owned collective based in New Orleans (also named Bulbancha by the original native peoples of this land and its descendants) that partners with communities to create multilingual spaces through high-quality and responsible in-person and virtual interpretation, translation, consulting and language justice training.
We envision a multilingual world that values every voice, respects every person’s inherent agency, and allows for every community’s full and dignified participation in shaping our collective future. Through language justice work, BanchaLenguas lays foundations for learning, relationship-building, and dreaming across language and borders.
Since 2017, we have worked with a variety of partners locally, nationally, and abroad to create virtual and in-person multilingual spaces, including at marches, trainings, film screenings, conferences, community gatherings, mediations, births, and more.
Language Justice Lineages
Our collective’s understanding of language justice draws on many other language justice projects’ rich work, support, and resources. We are particularly grateful to Caracol, Antena Aire, tilde Language Custice Cooperative, Center for Participatory Change, and the Highlander Center. For a more in-depth explanation of language justice and detailed breakdowns of interpretation styles, best practices for building multilingual spaces, etc. we highly recommend Antena Aire’s guide: How to Build Language Justice.
Photo credit for website photos: Hollyn Beaver