TRANSLATIONS

INSTRUCTIONAL SITUATIONS

WHERE TRANSLATION WOULD BE A VALUABLE TOOL

1. Written communication to students’ parents from the teacher

Parent-Teacher partnerships and communication are very important for students’ progress in school. Being able to translate notes in the language of non-English speaking parents would be a more effective way to communicate with them. When I need to write a quick note to a parent regarding a student’s behavior or problems he/she may be having with schoolwork or homework, or if I have a question for the parent, it would be helpful to be able to write the note in the non-English speaking parent’s language. Teachers often need to write brief notes to parents quickly, and may not be able to locate another staff member who can speak that parent’s language. Using a translation website would be a way to write the message and maintain personal communication with parents.

2. Report cards, Interim Progress Reports, and Weekly Behavior Checklists

Many parents may not speak English. Providing them with copies of their child’s report card, interim progress report, and weekly behavior checklist would allow them to follow their child’s progress in school without needing another person to translate it to them. Many students I have parents who do not speak English. The parents need someone to translate their child’s report card to them. Being able to provide the report card, interim progress report, and any behavior charts in the parent’s language allows them to be aware of their child’s progress without having another person read it to them. This maintains the privacy of the student’s academic progress and allows the parent to be informed about how their child is progressing in school.

3. School functions and weekly school information

Many schools have evening functions focused on a culture that is represented in the school. Families are invited to attend and celebrate the particular culture. For example, my school hosts a Hispanic Family Dinner and African-American Family Night. Many schools also hold other types of evening functions, such as Reading Family Night, Math Family Night, Mother Goose, and functions sponsored by the PTA. Many schools also provide weekly newsletters on paper or websites to keep parents informed. It would benefit parents if notices for these events and weekly happenings were published in other languages, besides English. Students receive many notices each week for their parents to read. Wouldn’t it be better if all parents could read the notices? Perhaps parent involvement would increase, and then the students of non-English speaking parents would know their parents are actively involved in helping them succeed in school.

4. School projects

The first-grade Social Studies curriculum in Howard County has a unit, “Many People, Many Places.” Each year, the teachers assign a home project for the students to do on a country. Each student is assigned a different country and must give a presentation about it to the class. Parents are also invited to watch the presentations. It would be interesting if the students were able to translate some visual parts of their presentation in the language of the country they learned about, and show the information in the other language, next to the English. This would allow the students to see what other languages look like and what children in other parts of the world learn to read.

5. Written work

Many children have parents who don’t speak English and can’t read the written work their children bring home. Children do a lot of writing and sometimes, they write funny and creative things. It would be great if the stories and other assignments that children write could be translated in their parents’ language, so their parents can read what their children have written. These parents would feel more involved and able to know what their children are thinking and working on in school.

TEXT BLOCK TRANSLATED

Welcome to the 2002 - 2003 school year. We are looking forward to a fantastic year, working with you and your child.

In the first grade, your child will be learning how to read. To help your child be a successful reader, please read with your child at home! Your child needs to read or be read to, every day. Every month we will send home book club order forms. This is a very inexpensive way to buy books for your child to keep at home. Just fill out the form and have your child return it to us, with cash or a check. It would also be a great idea to get your child his/her own library card! At the library you can get lots of great books for free! The children need to read over vacations to keep up their reading skills.

Spanish

Recepción a los 2002 - 2003 años escolares. Estamos mirando adelante a un año fantástico, trabajando con usted y su niño. En el primer grado, su niño aprenderá cómo leer. ¡Para ayudar a su niño a ser un lector acertado, lea por favor con su niño en el país! Su niño necesita leer o ser leído a, cada día. Cada mes enviaremos las formas de pedido caseras del club del libro. Esto es una manera muy barata de comprar libros para que su niño guarde en el país. Justo complete la forma y tenga su vuelta del niño él nosotros, con efectivo o un cheque. ¡También sería una gran idea conseguir a su niño su propia tarjeta de la biblioteca! ¡En la biblioteca usted puede conseguir las porciones de los grandes libros para libre! Los niños necesitan leer vacaciones excesivas para continuar sus habilidades de la lectura.

Korean

2002년 -2003학년도에 환영. 우리는 환상적인 년에 앞으로 봐, 너와 너의 아이와 일한. 일학년안에, 너의 아이는 읽기 위하여 어떻게 배우고 있을 것이다. 너의 아이가 성공적인 독자 있을것을 돕 위하여는, 너의 아이와 집에서 읽으십시요! 너의 아이는, 매일에 읽으나 읽는것을 필요로 한다. 각 달 우리는 가정 도서 클럽 주문 용지를 보낼 것이다. 너의 아이를 위해 책을 사는 이것은 집에서 유지하기 위하여 아주 싸 방법 이다. 다만 서류에 써넣고 현금 또는 체크에 우리들에게 너의 아이 반환을 그것, 있으십시요. 너의 아이에게 그/그녀의 자신의 대출 카드를 얻는 또한 좋은 아이디어 이을텐데! 도서관에 너는 자유로운을 위해 중대한 책의 제비를 얻을 수 있는다! 그들의 독서력을 유지하기 위하여 아이들은 전면 휴가를 읽는것을 필요로 한다.