The Barcelona City Council has begun deploying 201 automatic translation devices with artificial intelligence in social services, the Urban Guard, and citizen service offices. The technology allows for real-time translation of conversations in 82 languages.
The Barcelona City Council is finalising the rollout of a real-time automatic translation system based on artificial intelligence (AI) to improve service to citizens. The project, which started with pilot tests in 2024 and 2025, involves the implementation of 201 portable devices across three municipal areas: 130 for centres of the Municipal Institute of Social Services (IMSS), 43 for units of the Urban Guard, and 28 for Citizen Service Offices (OAC).
According to municipal sources, 85% of the devices have already been delivered, and the rollout is expected to be completed by next September, once training for the staff who will use them is finished. This training includes internal usage protocols, the need to obtain consent from citizens, the prohibition of sharing conversations, and the obligation to place informative posters, among other measures.
The initiative, which costs less than 55,000 euros, aims to overcome language barriers in initial interactions between citizens and municipal staff. Barcelona hosts an increasingly diverse population, and these translators allow for real-time conversations in 82 languages, the translation of written texts in 96, and photographs in 112, a range that will expand with periodic updates.
The devices, similar to mobile phones, are designed for professionals and users of municipal services to understand each other more quickly and accurately. They are used in services with greater exposure to multilingual environments, such as the OAC and municipal information points, as well as in social service centres, the Office of Social and Economic Benefits, or the homelessness assistance service.
The Urban Guard has been a pioneer in the introduction of these translators, using them both in police stations and in operational activities on the street. According to commanders and officers, the feedback is very positive due to their speed, intuitiveness, and visual clarity, and they have proven useful for guiding foreign individuals, regularising traffic violations with drivers of other nationalities, or assisting victims of theft.
The project is part of the municipal strategy for an ethical, democratic, and sustainable adoption of artificial intelligence, coordinated by the Municipal Institute of Barcelona Innovation and Technology (BIT) through its Office of Artificial Intelligence. It also aligns with the Barcelona Easy Plan, the council's roadmap to make the relationship between administration and citizens more agile and accessible.
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