Quintana Roo seeks more Maya interpreters amid budget shortfall

Chetumal — The director of the Institute for the Development of the Maya People and Indigenous Communities of the State (INMAYA), Enrique Chuc Cen, acknowledged the need for a greater number of Maya language interpreters in Quintana Roo. He stated that the institute is actively working to certify more individuals so they can serve the Maya-speaking population across various government agencies.

Chuc Cen explained that the lack of sufficient interpreters hinders indigenous communities’ access to essential services and procedures. Currently, only 30 people have completed this certification. Although efforts are underway to increase this number, he asserted that the budget allocated to INMAYA is insufficient to expand workshops and evaluation processes to certify more bilingual individuals.

“There is a shortage of translators of our Maya language, and not only of our Maya language, because in Quintana Roo there are other languages, many Tzotzil, Tojolabal, but providing that support is very difficult because INMAYA’s budget is very small,” said Chuc Cen. “We are trying to provide Maya language translators to the agencies that request them; last year we certified 15 interpreters, today I just inaugurated the second certification for another 15, and we will have 30, but it is not enough. I would like to have more, but with the type of budget we have, it is difficult.”

He detailed that for 2025, they were authorized 33 million pesos, but he emphasized that to advance and guarantee the rights of indigenous communities—ensuring they have effective communication and access to justice and public services in their own language at state, municipal, and federal levels—they need to double the allocated budget, meaning 60 million pesos as a base.

With these resources, they could not only reduce inequality gaps and build a more inclusive society with well-being for all, with a greater number of Maya language translators and other indigenous dialects, but also increase the number of beneficiaries for the support and programs they bring to indigenous communities.

“This year, only 33 million pesos are being spent; when we started, we had only 27 million, but with so many actions that we carry out, we need at least double,” Chuc Cen stated. “Our function is to consolidate, enhance, and strengthen our uses and customs, and the budget is not decided by the director of INMAYA; it is the Congress. If we have so much love for the Maya people, I believe it is fair, dignified, and an act of social justice to provide a good budget so that programs and courses that have been set aside can be launched.”

He specified that INMAYA provides basic, introductory, intermediate, and higher-level courses to evaluate each person interested in joining the registry of Maya language translators and subsequently grant certification.