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National translation and interpretation services.

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Get quality language services solutions with Propio Language Services. Expert translation, interpretation, and localization services.

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Translation and Interpretation Code of Ethics for Education

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Translation and Interpretation Code of Ethics for Education

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From: https://naetisl.org/

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Translation and Interpretation Code of Ethics

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OELA Toolkit: Ch. 10 Tools and Resources for Ensuring Meaningful Communication with Multilingual Parents

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OELA Toolkit: Ch. 10 Tools and Resources for Ensuring Meaningful Communication with Multilingual Parents

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Communicate with families in their home languages.

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TalkingPoints - Improving student outcomes through meaningful school-family partnerships.

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TalkingPoints - Improving student outcomes through meaningful school-family partnerships.

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National translation and interpretation services.

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Language Translation and Interpreting Services | LanguageLine Solutions

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LanguageLine is the global leader in interpretation, translation, and localization services. We provide 24/7 language access coverage in 290+ languages.

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Educational Interpreting & Translation Services | Global

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Professional interpreting, ASL, video, phone and document translation services for K–12 schools, colleges, libraries, training programs, students and families.

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Guidance from MDE on when to use an interpreter/translator and when to use technology.

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Colorin Colorado: Empowering EL Families at Home

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Colorin Colorado: Empowering EL Families at Home

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All parents can be helpful in their children's literacy development, regardless of their language, education, or literacy level, and can contribute to their children's education in valuable ways.

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All parents can be helpful in their children's literacy development, regardless of their language, education, or literacy level. Parents who speak little or no English can contribute to their children's education in valuable ways. English language learners may benefit when they develop solid literacy skills in their first language before learning to read in a second one. Through Spanish, they are developing key language and literacy skills that may enable them to become excellent readers in English.

What are the important differences between the English and Spanish languages?

There are important differences between English and Spanish. Your awareness of these differences will help you to better teach English to your ELLs. For example:

Spanish-speaking ELLs may have difficulty distinguishing one English sound from another when they listen, speak, read, or write – especially the sounds that don't exist in Spanish. They may have trouble learning the 15 English vowel sounds because Spanish only has five. Beginning ELLs may not hear the difference between cat and cut, call and cold, or tin and ten. They need to hear the vowel distinctions from you before they are able to produce them on their own.

Discover more Spanish-English tips to help your ELL make connections between the two languages.

What if my students' parents speak only Spanish and don't know how to read?

Even if your students' parents cannot read, there are many ways they can develop their children's oral language skills and support their literacy efforts. Here are a few ideas:

Storytelling

In Hispanic families, oral storytelling is often more of a natural activity than reading a bedtime story together. By telling stories, parents are developing their children's vocabulary and oral language skills. Parents can also encourage children to add to stories or make up their own.

"Read" wordless picture books

Wordless picture books tell stories through pictures. This can be a fun way for parents and children to sit down together with books and talk about stories. Children can learn how stories progress, make predictions, and develop a love for books.

Say rhymes and sing songs

Rhymes, songs, and chants can develop oral language skills such as intonation and word stress.

Read more ideas on how to make word play fun:

Make frequent trips to the public library

You might be surprised at how many parents of ELLs do not understand that public libraries in the United States are free and for everyone. Try coordinating an informal "field trip" to your closest public library with parents (and possibly children) early in the school year.

Get ideas on introducing parents of ELLs to the public library, and more!

Engage in meaningful conversation

For oral language development, it is important that parents engage their children in meaningful conversation. Whether at the dinner table or at the grocery store, parents can ask children questions that require more than a simple yes or no answer.

Read more on how to engage your child to help develop oral language (also available in Spanish):

Watch educational children's television programs together

There are a number of wonderful children's television programs that promote English language and literacy development. This can be a great way for both parents and children to learn English together.

Learn more ways television can be used as an educational tool.

What if my students' parents read only in Spanish?

If your ELLs' parents are fully literate in Spanish, there are many ways they can help their children learn to read. First of all, they can do everything in the section above. In addition, they can:

Read books in Spanish

Just as English-speaking parents can read books with their children in English, Spanish-speaking parents can read books with their children in Spanish. If some parents are not accustomed to reading with their children, introduce them to children's books and model different ways they can read together. Visit our families section for more specific suggestions. You can print out Spanish versions of each page and hand them directly to parents.

Read bilingual books

Bilingual books are a great way for ELL students and their parents and family to enjoy books together. In addition, they can both improve their reading skills along the way.

Homework help

If parents do not speak English, they may feel powerless when it comes to helping their children with homework. Let parents know that there are a variety of ways they can help:

Direct help

There are probably many ways that parents can offer direct homework help, whether it's teaching numbers and letters, practicing reading, or helping with projects. Keep parents abreast of your classroom activities and homework, and point out specific ways that they can help out from home.

Keep tabs

Parents can keep in touch with teachers to make sure their children are finishing their homework. They can ask their children if they have any homework and make sure they set aside enough time to do it.

Provide good work space

Let parents know how important it is for children to have a clean, quiet work space to read or do their homework. Even if it is a simple table and chair, children will concentrate better with a defined place to study.

Find a tutor

If parents cannot directly help with homework, encourage them to locate a tutor to help their children and answer any questions. Often times there are volunteer tutoring programs at local elementary schools, high schools, libraries, and after-school programs. An aunt, uncle, neighbor, or older sibling might also be able to help.

Starting a home library

Regardless of their language or literacy level, parents can help their children develop a special collection of books at home. Here are some tips for parents:

Pick a special place in the house

Designate an area so that your child knows where to find his or her books. Buy, make, or clear off an area for a simple bookshelf. Even a board or cardboard box will do.

Find quality books

There are a number of ways to build up your home library. An obvious way is to make frequent trips to the public library. You can also buy books from bookstores and school book fairs. You can often find books for little cost at used book stores, thrift stores, and garage sales. Another way to develop a collection is to encourage family members and friends to give books to your children as presents for birthdays and other occasions.

Learn more about starting your own library:

Multicultural books

Watch children's author and literacy advocate, Pat Mora, discuss how her family stories have enabled many Hispanic children to see themselves reflected in books.

This video is also available on YouTube.

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Empowering ELL Parents & Families at Home

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All parents can be helpful in their children's literacy development, regardless of their language, education, or literacy level. Parents who speak little or no English can contribute to their children's education in valuable ways. English language learners may benefit when they develop solid literacy skills in their first language before learning to read in a second one.

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National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) has family toolkits in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. You can download the full document, or by chapter.

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Chapter One - Enrolling Your Child in School Chapter Two - Attending School in the United States Chapter Three - Other Educational Programs and Services for Your Child Chapter Four - Finding Extracurricular Activities for Your Child Chapter Five - The Health and Safety of Your Child at School Chapter Six - Helping Your Child Be Successful in School
To request the tool kit in an alternate format as a reasonable accommodation, i.e. Braille, large print, CD Rom or audio, please contact Melissa Escalante by phone, 202-987-1745 or email at: Melissa.Escalante@ed.gov.

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Chapter One - Enrolling Your Child in School Chapter Two - Attending School in the United States Chapter Three - Other Educational Programs and Services for Your Child Chapter Four - Finding Extracurricular Activities for Your Child Chapter Five - The Health and Safety of Your Child at School Chapter Six - Helping Your Child Be Successful in School To request the tool kit in an alternate format as a reasonable accommodation, i.e.

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National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) EL Family Toolkit Tip Sheets in English and Spanish.

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EL Family Toolkit Tip Sheets | NCELA - English Language Acquisition & Language Instruction Educational Programs

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iu Group

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Every child deserves a well-rounded education and parents have a right to be informed about their child's performance - in their language. School districts hire professional interpreters and translators through IU to help students transition from their native tongue to English or to communicate with parents, guardians and the community. At Interpreters Unlimited we provide a full suite of language services for individual schools and entire school districts, offering services both on demand and through short term or long term contracts.

We contract with skilled linguists to provide our nation's schools with interpreters for meetings, assemblies, after school activities and other situations where a conversation takes place. Most districts choose to provide services on an as-needed basis, for the most common spoken languages in the area. We can also translate and localize your website and all correspondence including emails, texts and letters.

These academic interpreting services help foreign exchange students and students with limited English proficiency exceed in their studies, feel comfortable in the campus environment and understand what's expected of them. Contact us for an in-person appointment for 200 spoken languages and/or American Sign Language. Our skilled and experienced education linguists cover K-12 Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools and public and private Colleges and Universities.

Phone interpreting appointments are available for staff who need to speak with a parent or guardian when an in-person interpreter is not available. This service works best during meetings or conferences on speaker phone. Remote Video interpreting is also available for those who prefer it, we can accommodate e-learning if it is needed. With no shortage of easy to use video platforms out there, anybody can continue their education complete with the interpreters that they rely on. Video translation services are available via Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, Kudo, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, or any other video service, and can be easily integrated for your Non-English Speaking, Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing students, parents and staff.

We can handle your school or school district ESL Program (English as a Second Language Program) and your IEP (Individualized Education Program). We can cater your programs to in person on-site or through Video Remote Interpretation (VRI), as well as Over the Phone Interpretation (OPI). Whether it's day to day in classroom education, parent teacher meetings, staff meetings, orientation, commencement and graduation or any other special event, we have you covered:

Public and private schools

Magnet and charter schools

Gifted and talented programs

Special education and related services

Registration and enrollment in schools and school programs

Parent handbooks

Extracurricular activities from school clubs to sports

After school programs

Discipline policies and procedures

Meetings and conferences

Fundraisers

Academic Translation

Academic translation services help families understand what's going on with their child and helps families to better communicate at home. At the K-12 level, we recommend translating the following materials to keep on-hand:

Higher Education Document Translation

We recommend to keep an inventory of translated documents in your most requested languages. Documents like this for universities are often:

Why Choose IU for Your District or University?

Experience-IU contracts linguists with experience and knowledge of every level of education, to ensure accuracy.

Our Network Approximately 9,000 professional linguists are contracted with us across the country to guarantee we find someone for your next appointment.

24/7 Customer Service- Our customer web portal, WebIUX enables clients to request interpreters, view appointment history, quotes and more.

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We offer academic translation services in 200+ languages. Regardless of language barriers, parents should be informed about their child's education and performance.

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Colorin Colorado offers numerous resources for teachers and educators in order to strengthen the school-home partnership with multilingual families. Some resources in Spanish as well.

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In this section we offer numerous resources for teachers and educators in order to strengthen the school-home partnership. From back-to-school night to parent-teacher conferences, we've got lots of ideas to get you started!

For Educators

If you would like some ideas on ways to reach out to the parents of your English language learners, take a look at these resources:

For Parents

For parents who aren't sure how to develop a relationship with their child's teacher, these articles offer some great suggestions:

Recommended Resource from Understood.org

For more great ideas, take a look at the bilingual resources on Working with Your Child's School from Understood.org, a free website focused on learning and attention issues.

Reprints

You are welcome to print copies or republish materials for non-commercial use as long as credit is given to Colorín Colorado and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact info@colorincolorado.org.

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In this section we offer numerous resources for teachers and educators in order to strengthen the school-home partnership. From back-to-school night to parent-teacher conferences, we've got lots of ideas to get you started!

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Interpretation and Translation Guidelines from Immigrant Connections

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Interpretation and Translation Guidelines from Immigrant Connections

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Google Immersive Reader Extension for webpages

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Google Immersive Reader Extension for webpages

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The Google Translate extension can be used to translate webpages into any language that Google supports. Make sure that the extension is whitelisted on district devices, and help families use this extension to translate district web pages and for students to understand online resources.

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Immersive Reader - How to use Immersive Reader using the Google Chrome Browser / Chromebook

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Books are written in English or Spanish, but have narration available in multiple languages, including Arabic, Spanish, Hindi, Hmong, and Armenian.

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Unite for Literacy provides free digital access to picture books, narrated in many languages. Literacy is at the core of a healthy community, so we unite with partners to enable all families to read with their young children.

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USDHHS: Gathering and Using Language Information that Families Share

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USDHHS: Gathering and Using Language Information that Families Share

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From U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: How to gather information from the families of DLLs. Includes list of possible questions, what you learn from them, and why it matters.

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WISD Intake Guidance: Newcomer Family - School Visits

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WISD Intake Guidance: Newcomer Family - School Visits

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Newcomer family intake resource created by Puja Mullins, Newcomer Coordinator at Washtenaw ISD.

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OS Guidance: Effective Interpretation Process for ELs and their Families

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OS Guidance: Effective Interpretation Process for ELs and their Families

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Guidance from Oakland Schools, including working with interpreters before, during, and after an MTSS, evaluation, or IEP session.

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Global Storybooks is a free multilingual literacy resource for children and youth worldwide. Read, download, toggle, and listen to a wide variety of illustrated stories from different countries in multiple languages.

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The Global Storybooks Portal is designed specifically for teachers, parents, and community members around the world. It makes 40 selected stories from the African Storybook available in major national, immigrant and refugee languages of individual countries, regions, and groups.

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A fundamental principle of the International Digital Library is that children and their families deserve to have access to the books of their culture, as well as the majority culture, regardless of where they live.

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ICDL - International Children’s Digital Library

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This 20-second video (no sound or spoken language--all visual) shows you how to translate documents using Google Docs.

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In this video, learn how to use the app to hold live group conversations while having the conversation translated into the native language of every member of the conversation.

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How to Translate Live Conversations with Microsoft Translator

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This video shows you how to to use Microsoft Translator in Microsoft Word.

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To auto-translate captions:

Click on CC for captions in English

Click on settings

Click on subtitles

Click on auto translation

Choose language from list

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Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB)

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How to Use the Auto-Translation Tool on YouTube

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This is a chrome extension that can read text in many languages.

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Select any text you want to read and just listen to it!

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Create and translate videos

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AI Video Translator : Translate Videos into 175+ Languages

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Translate videos into 175+ languages and dialects instantly with AI. No voice actors or dubbing needed. Fast, accurate, and easy to use.