UC Santa Barbara’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center is currently reaching out in classrooms and on its website to students who can help overcome the language barrier between elementary school students, families and teachers.
The Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC) established the program,
UC Santa Barbara’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center is currently reaching out in classrooms and on its website to students who can help overcome the language barrier between elementary school students, families and teachers.
The Interdisciplinary Humanities Center (IHC) established the program, called Interpreting In Our Local Schools, during the 2016-2017 school year to assist local elementary school districts. The program draws on UCSB students to work as paid translators for parent-teacher conferences in schools where a language barrier exists between the student’s family and the teacher.
Susan Derwin, director of the IHC, said the program was created as a way for graduate and undergraduate students to refine their language skills and practice them within a community setting.
“Our aim was to draw upon tools associated with the humanities to deepen students’ engagement with local communities while also strengthening relationships between the university as an institution, local schools, and UCSB students, faculty, and staff,” Derwin said in an email.
The program has two main goals: facilitating the involvement of parents with the education of their children and providing UCSB students as role models for children pursuing higher education later in life, Derwin said.
Isla Vista Elementary and Franklin Elementary are the schools currently part of the parent-teacher interpreter program.
Interpreters have also been provided for the Individualized Education Program in three different school districts: Santa Barbara Unified School District, Goleta Union School District and Hope School District.
The Humanities and Fine Arts Instructional Improvement Grant, which supports the improvement of language instruction for UCSB students, and the Goleta Union School District fund the program.
Derwin says the program initially faced problems getting the word out to possible interpreters for the program and bringing in people who were interested.
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