According to the Pew Research Center, social networking in Hispanic/Latino communities has outpaced that of their Caucasian and African-American counterparts. Forty-eight percent of online Hispanics have a social networking profile, whereas 43 percent of African-Americans and 31 percent of Caucasians have online profiles.
Despite such numbers, few school districts have thus far come to fully understand and embrace Hispanic cultural predilections and even fewer are leveraging social media to do so. By thinking outside of the box, educators can begin utilizing new technology to communicate with and engage their Hispanic ELL population. For instance, by providing bilingual websites, online language translation and introducing a variety of social media outlets into parent/teacher communications, teachers will have more tools available to effectively reach out to this community.
Just think how much more effective a bilingual website would be for monolingual Spanish-speaking parents. They would be able to actively comprehend school information and education programs to discuss directly with their children and teachers. Ultimately, those that devote the time and resources to communicate with their Hispanic/Latino audiences in a practical and meaningful manner will be rewarded with a sizable, engaged, and increasingly involved parent/student base.
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Maggie
K12Translate
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Archive for September, 2009
US Dept of Education Awards Reading First Grants - How does that affect English Language Learners?
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Yesterday, the US Department of Education awarded over $108.8 million dollars in Early Reading First Grants to education organizations across the country spanning 18 states and Washington D.C. The grants aim to improve how well prepared children are upon entrance into school with a focus on low-income families. Essentially, the funds are to be used to improve preschool programs supported by Title I, Head Start and publicly funded child care.
According to the researcher, James Crawford, LEP students are 50% more likely to live in poverty than the mainstream population. Keeping in mind that the Reading First Grants are intended to bolster the academic success of kids from low-income families, I certainly hope to see a significant portion of those funds allocated specifically to ELL students and their education translation needs. All too often, school districts do not have the necessary funds to provide culturally sensitive language translations for their ELL student population. Hopefully this $108.8 million dollars will help to close this truly unfortunate education translation gap.
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Maggie
K12Translate
Part II: Tips for Hmong Education Translations
Thursday, September 17th, 2009
We know the two most common Hmong dialects are White Hmong and Green/Blue Hmong with White Hmong the most commonly spoken in the United States, we have yet to discuss nuances of the Hmong language itself and how that applies to language translation.
To begin with, Hmong is a tonal language and was an oral language until Missionaries started writing it in 1952, so new words are constantly being borrowed from Thai, Vietnamese and Lao. This linguistic evolution creates a rich and complex language that should only be translated by professional native speakers.
For instance, when translating into the Hmong language, education translators must keep in mind that this language does not have plural forms and verbs are not conjugated. Instead, Hmong uses an array of “classifiers”, for example, ‘ib lub tsev’ is rendered in English as, ‘one (classifier) house’. Another challenge that professional translators face when translating into Hmong is its lack of abstract terms. For example, “rich” is expressed as “much gold and silver”.
A suggestion we make to school districts is to consider their Hmong populations when writing outreach materials for translations. Generally, it is best to explain education processes and procedures very clearly and think through the proper sequence of explanation, either written or verbal. Always use clear and straightforward terms, such as “teacher” instead of “education professional”. Finally, be aware of information overload, sticking to the basic message streamlines communication and minimizes the potential for mistranslation.
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Maggie
K12Translate
FREE Multicultural Communication Webinar
Friday, September 11th, 2009
In less than 50 years, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that immigration will cause the U.S. population to increase from its present 307 million to more than 400 million. In fact, many of our nation’s school districts support over 35 languages among their schools. With the increasing number of immigrants, educators face tough challenges - how to effectively communicate with parents in culturally diverse communities and how to meet federal requirements mandating multilingual communication.
Join us for a FREE Webinar on September 17th
11:30-12:15 am Pacific Time
From this webinar you will walk away with tips and ideas:
-Shared stories from leading school districts - what works and what doesn’t
-Ideas and suggestions for effectively working with schools, communities and parents
-Expert tips for making use of Title III dollars to support language needs
-How to incorporate translation and cultural adaptation in your district communications while minimizing costs
-Understanding of how multilingual communication can increase LEP parent involvement in your district
Speakers
Alex Sanchez, Director – Multicultural Outreach Office, Denver Public Schools
Israel Vela, Director of Student Services, Kent School District
To register for this free webinar click here
I look forward to having you join us next Thursday!
Keep Learning!
Maggie
K12Translate
