Interpreters: bringing communities together

With a growing number of Spanish speakers in the Athens area, there is an ever-present need to make sure this community is not overlooked. One such way is through interpretation for school events. Most events, such as PTA meetings and Parent-teacher conferences, are often not attended by Spanish speaking parents. They are not attending because parents do not feel comfortable being in an environment where they feel like an outsider. Many schools have been creative in their endeavors to include the Spanish speaking community. One school had a family night where they played games with very few rules as to make the concept easy enough to understand without language. Another school allowed students to help interpret for their parents at various school events. We must find a way to close the language gap between Spanish speaking parents and schools. San Francisco public schools created and use a volunteer interpreter database to get volunteers. I am sure that here in the Athens area, we could do the same. The first step though is to get the bilingual community in Athens to volunteer their time and talents.

If you're interested in interpreting for a Athens-Clarke County school event, click here: