TLC Interpretation Project Manager Genna Linton recently attended the national conference for the American Association of Interpreters and Translators in Education (AAITE). TLC does a lot of interpretation appointments for schools for parent-teacher conferences, Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings, and more.
TLC translated documents for a special census for the city of Smyrna, TN, into Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese so that residents who speak those languages can fully participate. If the city population has grown as much as city leaders estimate, it could mean an additional $500k a year in shared state revenue for the city.
“Eileen and her team at the Tennessee Language Center have been fabulous to work with for our upcoming special census project requiring the translation of various forms,” says Amber Hobbs with the City of Smyrna. “From initial contact, through correspondence, and up to the delivery of the translated materials, working with the Tennessee Language Center has been a seamless process!”
This project is being funded by the Language Collaborative for Municipal Officials (LCMO) partnership with the Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS).
TLC Teacher Lorie Adams was one of the five finalists for the 2024 Adult Educator of the Year, an annual award given by the Nashville Public Library Adult Education Community
TLC has been approved as a designated testing site for the 日本漢字能力検定, Nihon Kanji Nōryoku Kentei; The Japan Kanji Aptitude Test, also known as Kanji Kentei, or Kanken for short. TLC is only one of four approved locations in the U.S. The Kanken is one of the most highly respected student certifications recognized in Japan and is a project sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The Kanken evaluates a student’s ability to read, write, and understand Kanji, a system of Japanese writing using Chinese characters. The test is administered by the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation and will be proctored by TLC Japanese instructors.
TLC recently provided two simultaneous Spanish interpreters for employees of IMCA, a Dominican Republic-owned construction company. The employees – along with the Minister of Public Works – were attending the World of Asphalt Show & Conference at the Music City Center.
TLC was recently recognized at the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNCPE)(TNCPE) Excellence Celebration as part of the 2024 TNCPE Conference for our Level Two Recognition. Interim Executive Director Eric Amos and former Executive Director Janice Rodriguez accepted the award for TLC.
TLC is very pleased to announce we have a new Assistant Director of World Languages, Mauricio Lopera.
Mauricio has a degree in Teaching English and Spanish from Luis Amigó Catholic University and a TESOL certification from Arizona State University. He has been a language instructor for more than 16 years – including teaching Spanish for TLC. He also recently coordinated a language program in Colombia that was overseen by the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. embassy in Bogota.
Welcome Mauricio!
The Tennessee Language Center and Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee partnered to provide Spanish language classes for Second Harvest staff, volunteers, and partners. Hear more about it on the latest episode of In Touch with Tennessee, “Bridging Language Barriers in Community Service.” Listen.
TLC is collaborating with the Metro (Nashville) Human Relations Commission on language access plans. Language Access Plans are policy documents required by Title VI that contain information on the LEP individuals served by an organization, and they are composed basically of a Language Needs Assessment (Four-Factor Analysis), a Notice of Language Access Services, a guide on how to request services and other related information. TLC has delivered a brand-new language access plan for the Metro Arts Commission and updated and added statistical information to the language access plan for the Metro Office for Family Safety.
TLC hosted the Spanish 3 students from Renaissance High School in Franklin, TN. The students were on a field trip to explore language career opportunities. The 16 students were divided into small groups and met with Translation Project Manager Eileen Bernstein to talk about translation jobs and Spanish Bilingual Administrative Coordinator Irma Hernandez about the work she does with students studying English. Training Specialist Richard Ponce de Leon had them role-play as interpreters and clients, and they got to create a short video about studying Spanish with Director of Marketing & Communications Missy Pankake. The goal was to expose them to different career opportunities using their language skills.