A gavel resting on a desk

21 Students Complete First Step in Court Interpretation Certification

Congratulations to the 21 Court Interpreter Students who completed the TN State Court Interpreter Ethics and Skills Building Workshop at the Tennessee Language Center on June 7, 2021.  The workshop is the first requirement to becoming a Certified Court Interpreter in the State of Tennessee.

The students were from the U.S., Spain, and Mexico and representing the following languages: Spanish, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Arabic, Portuguese, and French. These students will now be put in direct contact with the TN Administrative Office of the Courts , which will guide them through the remainder of the court interpreter registration and, eventually, certification process, after which they will begin interpreting in courts and attorney offices statewide.

graphic of graduation cap

Medical Interpreters Graduate June 3

TLC, in collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center Interpreter Services graduated eight students from the 80-hour, 15-week program on Thursday, June 3. Languages represented include Spanish, Russian, and Arabic, and participants connected from across the state and beyond.

ESL to Go Mobile Classroom Vehicle

ESL to Go receives $10,000 grant from Dollar General Literacy Foundation

ESL to Go, a grant-funded program that is part of the Tennessee Language Center (TLC), has been able to provide free English classes to over 1,700 students in the Nashville area with the help of generous funders including the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. ESL to Go was recently awarded another year of funding from Dollar General.

ESL to Go was founded in hopes of helping refugees overcome barriers to attending classes, with transportation being at the top of the list. ESL to Go uses a “classroom on wheels” in the form of a Ford F-650 truck equipped to be a fully functioning classroom to take English classes to the areas where refugees live. ESL to Go also works closely with local refugee resettlement agencies, community organizations, apartment complexes, and churches who allow ESL to Go to use free classroom space, so TLC-trained teachers are able to meet with refugee students close to their homes.

Recently, ESL to Go has expanded class offerings to include virtual classes in order to continue helping students access classes during the time of social distancing.

Two TLC employees at the Conference

Municipal Court Clerks in TN Learn about Importance of Accurate Interpreting

Some translation mistakes can have a lasting, if mostly harmless, impact. Like early Biblical translators thinking Moses was “horned” instead of “radiant,” leading to some really interesting sculptures, statues, and illuminations of Moses with horns on his head. Or people thinking that Mars had manmade “canals” on it instead of erosion-created “channels” due to a translation error. But other translation mistakes can have lifelong, or even deadly, consequences, as Richard Ponce-de-Leon Monosalva, Interpretation & Translation Project Manager, illustrated during his presentation “Language Access in the Courts” at a recent MTAS Conference for Municipal Court Clerks from across Tennessee on May 21.

TLC provides certified court interpreters, and also offers training for court interpretation throughout the year.

 

Language Access Funds Available for Local Non-Profits

Tennessee Language Center providing pro-bono interpretation/translation services to qualified organizations through Frist Foundation Grant

 

The Tennessee Language Center (TLC), through the TFLI Fund, Inc., has been awarded $15,000 from The Frist Foundation to provide assistance to Davidson County-based non-profit organizations in their language-access needs.

The scope of services that may be covered through this funding includes:

  •      Translation of documents.
  •      Interpretation – either face-to-face, telephonic or video remote – for meetings, lectures, seminars.

How to request:

  1.      Consult with a TLC Project Manager about the estimated cost for your project or assignment. Please call 615-741-7579 or send an email to its.languagecenter@tennessee.edu.
  2.      Once you have been given an estimate of cost, use this dollar amount to complete the Request for Funding.

*Note: While this grant is restricted to organizations based in Davidson County only, the areas served may extend to other counties.

 

Click here to access the request form

Coronavirus and TLC Activities

COVID-19’s Effect on Tennessee’s Businesses and Communities: Today and Tomorrow

https://youtu.be/PvDo4JVPm8c

The UT Institute for Public Service and its agencies want to invite you to an online discussion about the state of the coronavirus in Tennessee and how it affects our businesses and communities. Our expert guests on this forum are Dr. Jon McCullers, an infectious disease expert, professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center and pediatrician-in-chief of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital; and Dr. Matt Murray, director of the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy and associate director of the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research.

Only together can we make a difference.

Only Together Conference 2019

Last month, Woodmont Hills Church hosted the Only Together Conference aimed at connecting Nashville’s refugee service groups to each other. It presented a great opportunity to learn more about the refugees who make Nashville their home and the services available to them, to network with other agencies and to share about TLC’s programs. Erin Keafer, Assistant Director of English Programs at TLC, highlighted our ESL to Go program, which takes the classroom to refugee communities and helps to eliminate the transportation barrier. Since many of the volunteers in attendance teach informal English to the refugees who they mentor, we wanted to remind them what it’s like to sit on the other side of the desk.

Heather Seybold teaching a German lesson to the audience.

When we talk about teaching our new neighbors English, it’s good to be reminded of how humbling the process of learning a new language as an adult can be. We thought it might be better to show rather than to tell, which also gave us an opportunity to talk about our Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) and World Language courses. I presented a German lesson using NO English! “What?!!”, you say, “How is that possible??” Well, it’s the difference between explaining the grammar in English or teaching the target language phrases in context. Your brain is MUCH more engaged when it has to work not only to remember the phrase but to understand its meaning based on context. This is what sets our communicative approach apart from traditional teaching methods.

Many of our ESL students don’t share the same primary language in the classroom, so we must teach them in English using different methods that explain the meaning of the words rather than just presenting the vocabulary in the language they are most comfortable speaking. If you have ever experienced teaching or learning a new language using the communicative method, it sounds much easier to do than it is—both as a student and a teacher. The TESL program at TLC helps set teachers up for success using these effective teaching methods.

So let this serve as an invitation. Come learn a language with us or learn how to teach a language — we’d love to help! Only together can we make a difference.

Learn more today by visiting www.tlc.tennessee.edu or calling us at 615-741-7579.

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More Than Just Night Classes – How TLC Helps Homeschool Families

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Connie Barrow, a nurse practitioner from White House who homeschools her two kids, Wesley (age 15) and Shannon (age 13). They have been attending our classes since January and just recently completed their third term. She sits patiently in our lobby twice a week for two hours while Wesley and Shannon take their evening world language classes and has become a dear friend of ours.

One of the reasons Connie sought us out was because of her son’s interest in learning Russian. Private video lessons with an instructor based in the Ukraine sparked an interest in attending an in-person class. With a quick search on the internet, Connie found TLC.

The combination of the private tutoring and attending our in-person classes year round is how her kids achieve the required amount of homeschool credit every year. Although year round classes are a big commitment, Connie appreciates the continuity of the language learning and says it quickly became about more than just achieving the school credit – both kids are very committed to and excited about learning their prospective languages.

Connie says that one of the perks of studying here is that her kids can be around adult learners who take their language studies seriously. Her kids don’t have to worry about other students in class goofing off or distracting them from learning.

She also really appreciates the breadth of world language options when compared to regular school systems who typically only offer a few language options. As a mother, she thought it was important that her kids have the option to choose their own language interests from a large variety of options. Having lots of choices helps them think outside the box and enjoy being different. She is very proud that her kids authentically picked their own languages to study and believes it shows them that learning to pursue personal goals and dreams is valuable. “Sometimes teenagers feel the need to conform, but they need to know that it’s okay not to conform. I definitely recommend TLC to homeschool parents. Even if it’s not for credit, it encourages independence even within their own family and gives them something that makes them unique.”

Pictured are Wesley and Shannon Barrow after class.

I was also very happy to hear that both kids absolutely love their teachers. Wesley’s Russian teacher, Tatiana Logsdon, is a native of Russia. Wesley enjoys the stories she shares from her homeland, the culture, and learning what it is really like to live there. Shannon enjoys French because it is different from what her big brother is studying, but also because her French teacher, Jennifer Pitts, is consistent and understands what it is like to be in her student’s shoes with learning a language from scratch. Also, Shannon’s aunt lives in Quebec and speaks French, so it has been exciting for her to have that connection to her extended family members in Canada.

Connie has picked up some world language skills from her kids, too! She can say some basic sentences in Russian and French, thanks to her well-studied kids. The Barrow family recently attended the 2019 International Pathfinder Camporee event in Osh Kosh, Wisconsin, where they got to meet and spend time with hundreds of different families from different countries and cultural backgrounds. The Barrow family believes that seeking out and celebrating diversity is important for their kids’ character development. “It is important to know there is a way to show kindness even if you can’t understand what the other person is saying. It is exciting to be in a multi-cultural setting. They are people from other places, but they are just like you and me. There is so much value in being bilingual.”

She also wanted to point out that it was a fairly easy process of registering her kids and getting all her questions answered. “I really like TLC’s gentle approach to helping us, whether on the phone or in person, it was important to me to ask questions. I absolutely recommend TLC to everyone.”

Our current class offerings are Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. If you are interested in getting more information or registering for classes, please visit our website at http://tlc.tennessee.edu or give us a call at 615-741-7579.

Takeaways: Knox Asian Festival

So, I was at the 6th annual Knox Asian Festival on Sunday, a beautiful celebration with so many diverse visitors.  My booth was right outside the food vendor area, and I saw some delicious-looking meals and smelled some wonderful smells throughout the day.  There were countless intricate costumes representing various Asian countries and fascinating rhythms as various artists performed behind us.

This was my first time at this festival, so I had no idea how many interactions were in store for me.  So many people are interested in learning another language, and we hope to supply that need in Knoxville.  I was so excited to announce that we are now able to offer French, Spanish, Japanese and possibly Mandarin classes beginning in October!

To be completely honest, I did have two favorite interactions during the festival.  One young teenager greeted me in ASL.  She also signed a likely response and waited.  I finally understood what she wanted and signed back, “I’m good.”  It was a quick but humbling experience.  I immediately wanted to know how to say more, but I can only very slowly sign my name.  Once she realized that, she asked, “Do you offer ASL?”  I had to admit that we currently don’t.  I’ve wanted to offer this world language before, but now more than ever!  Are you or do you know an ASL teacher?  If you do, please email heather.seybold@tennessee.edu to see if we can make it happen!

My other favorite interaction was with three young high school students.  They excitedly approached me to explain their new mission.  They are starting an Asian Culture and Language after-school club at their school.  One young lady wants to teach language but was unsure where to start.  I told her that we like to keep it practical around TLC.  If I’m learning a language, I’d much rather know how to say, “how are you?” and possible answers than know how to conjugate “are” without being able to use it in a sentence.  I suggested teaching simple phrases in context with a lot of listening and repeating.  After all, that’s how we all learned our very first language, and it’s the one we know the best!

These were also my youngest interactions from the festival, and I am so very thankful that a heart-felt interest in learning other cultures and languages is continuing into the next generation.  Thank you, Knoxville, for sharing your best side with me this weekend.

 

-Heather