Woman standing in front of a presentation screen in a classroom

TLC Presents Spanish for Medical Professionals

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TLC’s Genna Linton presented a 4-hour long training to 30 nurses at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The course, “Spanish for Medical Professionals: A Linguistic and Cultural Toolkit,” was focused on words, phrases, and cultural norms to help non-Spanish speaking nurses better relate to non-English speaking patients. This will potentially impact hundreds of patients working with these nurses. Just being able to ask if they are in pain or if they need water in the language the patient understands will improve the quality of care they are receiving.

hand holding globe against sky

TLC to Offer Special, Shorter Language Classes for Summer at 15% Discount

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If you want to jump start your language learning this summer and fit two terms into one season, or if vacations and other summer plans are making it hard for you to commit to a 9-week language class, we have a solution for you – our shorter, Summer Intensive Language Courses! As an added bonus, these classes will be discounted 15% off our regular prices. Get the same content and quality learning by meeting more often for a shorter number of weeks.

We are offering four Summer Intensive Language Courses, including three beginner courses in American Sign Language, French, and Japanese for Youth (ages 11-15) as well as an intermediate Spanish course. If you take one beginner Summer Intensive Language, you’ll be able to jump into a second-level class for the normal Summer Term, and the intermediate Spanish course will give students an opportunity to participate in structured conversations around a book the class will read together.

Here are the details for each course:

American Sign Language (ASL) Survivor 1 (Online)

June 20 – 30
Meets Mon. through Thurs. each week, 6-8:15 p.m. (CDT)
Discounted price: $275

REGISTER

 

French Survivor 1 (Online)

June 20-30
Meets Mon. through Thurs. each week, 6-8:15 p.m. (CDT)
Discounted price: $275

REGISTER

 

Spanish – Level Up Lecturas (Online)

June 21-July 1
Meets Tues. through Fri. 1st week and Mon. through Fri. 2nd week, 7-8 p.m. (CDT)
Discounted price: $160

REGISTER

 

Japanese for Youth Survivor 1 (In-Person)

June 2-30
Meets Tues. & Thurs. each week, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. (CDT)
Discounted price: $245

REGISTER

We hope you will join us!

TLC is also offering our regular Summer Term of classes, which begin the week of July 11, 2022. You can take one of these intensives to jump start your learning – and register for the second level class for the regular term. Registration for these classes will open on June 6, 2022.

 

Woman and man posing in front of 880 Ranchera painted on the wall

Cara to Cara Radio Program Features TLC

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Director of World Languages Brian Barnett was recently a guest of Cara to Cara radio program sponsored by the Hispanic Family Foundation (HFF).  For the Spring 2022 World Languages term, we are offering an in-person beginning Spanish class at HFF. Registration for Spring Term starts March 7 and classes begin the week of April 18.  TLC also offers English classes at HFF.

Watch the interview.

Several people working on calligraphy while sitting at a table while the instructor looks over their shoulders

TLC Attends Japanese Moon Viewing Event

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Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in partnerships with the Japanese Consulate General in Nashville, hosted a day of Japanese cultural activities and a moon viewing on Sept. 19. TLC Japanese Teachers Naoko Takeda and Tomi Kowamura taught a Japanese calligraphy class, and TLC Executive Director Janice Rodriguez and World Languages Coordinator Jack Willey set up and manned an information table throughout the event to promote our Japanese and other World Language classes.

 

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First Online TESL Class Graduates

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Prior to the pandemic, the Tennessee Language Center’s Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) teacher certification course offered 150 hours of instruction, far beyond the standard 100 hours, and included a 30-hour, in-person teaching practicum. Graduates who completed the program had an advantage obtaining jobs in the field because of this teaching experience. Because of the in-person practicum, the certification training had always been limited to students in the Middle Tennessee area.

This year, TLC made the decision to pilot a completely virtual TESL certification program. On Sept. 11, the first cohort of graduates from the all online TESL certification program graduated. This class is now available to anyone in Tennessee that wishes to get certified to teach English as a Second Language.

Erlanger logo

TLC Provides Special 2-Day Training to Bilingual Employees at Erlanger Health Systems

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Sarah Ryan, Interpretation and Translation Training Specialist, presented a 2-day, virtual medical interpretation training to 13 bilingual Erlanger employees. The training specifically focused on learning and implementing specialized Spanish vocabulary for diabetes, cardiovascular health, and women’s health. This was not a certification course, but certification next steps were discussed for those attendees that were interested.

Excited woman doing a fist pump

Students Give TLC Excellent Marks in Satisfaction Survey

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TLC is pleased to report that our students from our spring term ranked our language classes 4.91/5.00 in our end of term satisfaction survey. An amazing 93% ranked us a 5.00.

“I like the small size of the class; the balance of listening, speaking, and writing practice; and the teacher’s style and personality,” wrote one student.

“This class is always a highlight for me each week. It’s been a lot of fun spending time with other people at my language level so that we can interact with one another,” writes another student.

We are thrilled that we are meeting your language learning needs and appreciate everyone who submitted feedback. Thank you!

A gavel resting on a desk

21 Students Complete First Step in Court Interpretation Certification

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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

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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.

Only together can we make a difference.

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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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