Monthly News & Updates for Educators, Interpreters and Translators

RESOURCE CORNER

Welcoming Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families to Our Schools: Special Considerations

As summer comes to a close and a new school year approaches, schools need to prepare for conversations with families about their children’s education. When discussing this topic with newcomers, such as refugees and immigrants, there are specific points schools and other service providers should keep in mind.

Multilingual Term Bases

Multilingual term bases are essential in educational settings because they ensure consistent, accurate use of terminology across languages, especially when dealing with regional variations and culturally specific concepts. They help translators and interpreters navigate differences in educational systems, grade levels, and institutional terms, reducing ambiguity and miscommunication. Term bases support clearer communication between schools and multilingual families, enhance interpreting accuracy during meetings, and save time by offering a reliable reference for frequently used terms. Below we include some recommendations:

IATE (Interactive Terminology for Europe)

Languages: All EU official languages

Focus: Broad domains including education, law, health, etc.

Strength: High-quality, professionally vetted terms

United Nations Term Base

Languages: English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese, Arabic

Focus: United Nations terminology, including education, development, and rights

Strength: Neutral international terms

Termium Plus

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Focus: Canadian public-sector and education terminology

Strength: Includes educational levels and multicultural terminology

Spanish Variants

Spanish is a global language spoken by over 500 million people across more than 20 countries. While it shares a common linguistic foundation, regional variations in vocabulary, usage, grammar, and cultural context can significantly affect meaning and clarity. For educators, translators, and interpreters, understanding these differences is essential to ensure accurate and culturally appropriate communication.

This glossary provides a selection of terms that highlight key regional variants in Spanish. It is designed to support educators, translators, and interpreters in recognizing and navigating differences across countries where Spanish is spoken, helping them make informed choices based on the target audience and context. This resource serves as a practical reference for maintaining linguistic precision and cultural sensitivity.

Link to the Glossary

Language Access in Schools: A Civil Right, Not a Courtesy

This article underscores the critical importance of language access in U.S. public education, framing it as a civil right protected by law, not a discretionary service. When schools fail to provide professional interpretation and translation services, families with limited English proficiency are often left in the dark, with children placed in inappropriate roles as ad hoc interpreters.

Despite legal protections under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, many school districts still fall short in delivering equitable communication. The rollback of federal language access policies threatens to exacerbate existing inequities.

The article outlines four key actions districts can take:

1) Prioritize the translation of essential documents,

2) Partner with professional language service providers,

3) Implement and train staff on a language access plan, and

4) Advocate for sustained investment.

By treating language access as foundational, not optional, schools can foster stronger family engagement, improve student outcomes, and uphold the civil rights of all learners.

We encourage you to think about how SeSo, Inc. can support you as a member of the educational community to expand your knowledge and skills, and create safe spaces to have these conversations. We welcome your ideas. Email us at sesoincga@gmail.com.

NEW TERMINOLOGY BUILDING TOOLS

Expanding your knowledge of educational terms does not have to be boring! Give this SeSo, Inc. Word Search a try and find the equivalent of each word in your working language(s) to expand your glossary. Click on the image and start searching!

COURSES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced Courses for Spoken Language Interpreters

Check out the instructor-led sessions offered by the National Association of Educational Translators and Interpreters of Spoken Languages (NAETISL).

Courses feature language-specific support, guest speakers, cultural, linguistic and ethical dilemma discussions, glossary development strategies and more. Click on the image to expand.

Translation and Interpretation Practice Sessions

Ready to put your skills into practice and receive immediate feedback? Sessions available for Arabic and Spanish speakers with more languages to come. Participants will practice consecutive/simultaneous interpretation skills and note-taking using scripts with basic, intermediate and advanced vocabulary common in early childhood and K-12 settings. In the translation practice series, discuss potential methods, techniques and resources to make effective translation decisions, manage acronyms, symbols, and abbreviations; verb and tense, cultural references, prepositions and more.

Continuing Education for Qualified and Certified Healthcare Interpreters:

Check our InterpreterEd.com and their new series of live courses with continuing education hours available. Offering an Early Bird price if enrolled by September 5, 2025: https://interpretered.com/ce-course-schedule/

To have your professional development opportunity featured in our next newsletter, email us at sesoincga@gmail.com

Ana Soler, BSW, MPH - Ph.D. in Special Education Candidate | Contact Us

Monthly News & Updates for Educators, Interpreters and Transl﻿ators