NASCA Press Release: Minnesota Enterprise Translations Office Announced as 2026 Innovation in State Government: Transformation Award Recipient

For Immediate Release
October 9, 2026

Contact: Elizabeth Whitehouse, Executive Director, executivedirector@nasca.org

NASCA Press Release: Minnesota Enterprise Translations Office Announced as 2026 Innovation in State Government: Transformation Award Recipient

Saint Paul, MN – The National Association of State Chief Administrators is proud to announce the Minnesota Enterprise Translations Office as the 2026 NASCA Innovation in State Government: Transformation Award recipient.

The Innovation in State Government Awards recognize state administration department programs, projects, and initiatives that exemplify leading practices in the industry.

The Minnesota Department of Administration launched the Enterprise Translations Office (ETO) in July 2024 to address a fragmented approach to multilingual communication strategies. Rather than asking state agencies to independently solve the same language-access challenges, Minnesota established a centralized shared-services model. By combining linguistic expertise, workflow automation, responsible use of generative AI, and standardized quality practices, ETO transformed translation from a decentralized procurement activity into a statewide operational service.

In just 24 months, ETO completed more than 3,470 translation requests, generated $3.679 million in cost avoidance, and dramatically improved the speed and consistency of multilingual communications across agencies. Through a human-centered approach to AI, they significantly reduced the traditional trade-off between speed and quality while maintaining rigorous human linguistic quality assurance, enabling professional linguists to deliver translations at a scale previously unattainable through conventional translation models.  Every ETO translation is under the responsibility of a professional linguist who evaluates meaning, context, terminology, cultural relevance, readability, accuracy, and appropriateness for the intended audience.  Technology accelerates the work while people remain accountable for the language.

Beyond operational efficiencies, ETO is creating lasting infrastructure for language access in Minnesota. The office is establishing statewide translation standards and terminology resources, improving consistency across agency communications, and building internal capacity to meet growing multilingual needs. These efforts ensure that residents receive clearer, more consistent information while allowing agencies to communicate more effectively with the diverse communities they serve.

The effectiveness of Minnesota’s approach has been recognized both within government and nationally. ETO received the 2024 One Minnesota Budget Implementation Award for Innovation, was named a finalist for the MNTech TEKNE Awards for AI Advancements and was nominated for a NASCIO Award for Emerging & Innovative Technologies. In addition, OpenAI featured the Enterprise Translations Office as a leading example of responsible generative AI adoption for public good.

NASCA celebrates their selection, and we look forward to their continued work advancing excellence in state government operations. 

Founded in 1976, NASCA is the nation’s only nonpartisan, nonprofit organization serving chief administrative officers or CAOs. NASCA provides a forum for state chief administrative officers to exchange information and learn new ideas from each other and private sector partners. NASCA engages states in transforming government operations through shared knowledge, operational excellence, and thought leadership.

For more information on NASCA, please visit NASCA.org.