Translation is Communicative! Inter-language Approaches to Linguistic (and Cultural) Awareness a presentation by Sarah Braun Hamilton June 9, 2008

Community Translation and Community ESL  Language mediation services  By immigrants, for immigrants (sometimes)  For people with Limited English Proficiency  Goal: equal access to equal opportunity  Goal: self-sufficiency and integration

Challenges to effective community translation and interpretation  Demographics: More people need it 8.1% of US population reports speaking English less than “very well”8.1% of US population reports speaking English less than “very well”  Up from 6.1% in 1990 and 4.8% in 1980  That’s 22.8 million people  Professionalization: Fewer people are considered qualified to provide it Required training, assessment and registration is expensiveRequired training, assessment and registration is expensive Employment opportunities are variableEmployment opportunities are variable Available professionals may not be members of the target communityAvailable professionals may not be members of the target community  Funding: Fewer organizations and agencies can afford it Professional translation and interpretation services are expensiveProfessional translation and interpretation services are expensive Funding for social services is scarceFunding for social services is scarce Stats from: Shin, H.B. (2003). Language use and English speaking ability: Census 2000 Brief C2KBR-29. US Census Bureau. Downloaded from

Nationality ≠ Language: The case of Spanish  The government of Mexico recognizes 62 national languages besides Spanish.  Combined, these languages have more than 6 million speakers. (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática, INEGI,

Language map of Mexico Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version:

A language map of Guatemala  The majority of Guatemalans are indigenous  The government of Guatemala recognizes 23 national languages ) (El congreso de la República de Guatemala. Decreto numero Downloaded from sNacionales.pdf) Map from attributed to the Comisión de Oficialización de los Idiomas Indígenas de Guatemalahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala

Translation Benefits  Grow translators, editors, interpreters and reviewers from inside the community Compensate for lack of suitable trained professionals and funding to pay themCompensate for lack of suitable trained professionals and funding to pay them Reduce problems due to language variation and sociopolitical conflictReduce problems due to language variation and sociopolitical conflict Support community development and self-helpSupport community development and self-help Train those who are already providing ad hoc translation and advocacyTrain those who are already providing ad hoc translation and advocacy Improve quality of ad hoc translation when professional translation is not feasibleImprove quality of ad hoc translation when professional translation is not feasible

Language Learning Benefits  Teach reasonable expectations for translation  Build career skills  Utilize adult learners’ existing knowledge and language learning strategies  Teach health care and social services vocabulary and content  Increase awareness of the differences between languages  Practice negotiating meaning in authentic multilingual contexts

How can we do it?  Translation as technique Teacher and student share a languageTeacher and student share a language  Instructions  Clarifications  Vocabulary  Comparison of grammatical structures Students share a languageStudents share a language  Helping each other  “What did she just ask you?”  “How does it work in your language?”

How can we do it?  L1  L2: Translation as activity Translation and back-translationTranslation and back-translation  Round-robin, pair, or individual Interpreted dialogsInterpreted dialogs Listen or read and paraphraseListen or read and paraphrase Side-by-side analysis and reportSide-by-side analysis and report Authentic textsAuthentic texts

How can we do it?  Translation as content Interview a translatorInterview a translator Read and discuss Code of EthicsRead and discuss Code of Ethics Describe experiences translating or receiving translationDescribe experiences translating or receiving translation Discuss translation errors in marketingDiscuss translation errors in marketing Integrate into discussions of medicine, education, law, government, etc.Integrate into discussions of medicine, education, law, government, etc.

Translation is a life skill  Immigrants deserve linguistically and culturally competent translation  Immigrants can learn to be translators  Immigrants can affect the profession of community translation  Translation can help immigrants learn English  Translation can help teachers learn more about other languages

Thank you very much for your kind attention to this presentation  This slideshow, along with links to sources for translated documents and translator training materials, will be available at later today.