Why Schools Need Professional Language Solutions
Ensuring accurate information in multi-languages is essential and will help students and households overcome language barriers that prevent students from understanding and participating in education programs, services and activities. Often overlooked is that students can be proficient in English, but will still require materials to take home to a Limited English Proficient (LEP) household.
When language assistance is needed, many opt for the most convenient methods available:
- Find someone nearby who speaks the language.
- Use a machine translator such as Google Translate.
Both methods risk inaccurate results and often provide misconstrued messaging.
Being multi-lingual is not enough to be an interpreter. Relying on a staff member who understands the language may seem like a quick and efficient solution; however, a key factor to consider is that the select individual may be familiar, but not fluent in the target language. Many speakers of diverse languages learn at an early age, but never receive a formal education or have the necessary qualifications.
Translation apps may seem like the next best option, and while they have advanced over the years, they are not vetted to standard and are prone to making mistakes. Context is often misconstrued, especially with less common languages, resulting in misinformation and causing additional confusion.
Not only are these methods not as effective, but the U.S. Department of Justice has also declared that state education agencies and school districts must provide LEP families with appropriate language assistance and resources.
To ensure language accuracy within your school districts, use professional interpreters and translators to best reach and connect with LEP students and their households. From interpreting and translating enrollment information to student individual education plans, Language World is here to guide you through every step of the student’s success journey.
Sources:
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-el-201501.pdf
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-factsheet-lep-parents-201501.pdf