TLC News

Law enforcement officers in Bristol recently completed the Tennessee Language Center’s Spanish for Law Enforcement training—a hands-on course built specifically for real-world policing situations. Offered in partnership with the Law Enforcement Innovation Center, the class equips officers with practical Spanish vocabulary and communication strategies they can immediately apply during traffic stops, interviews, emergencies, and de-escalation efforts.

When the Education Freedom Scholarship program launched, TLC translated the application and Family Handbook into Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese to help families across the state understand this new opportunity. After the program’s first year, updates were made—and we were proud to once again partner with the Tennessee Department of Education to translate the 2026–2027 materials into Spanish and Arabic.

We’re proud to celebrate the completion of TLC’s 70th Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) cohort—70 cohorts of educators committed to language access, opportunity, and impact.

The Tennessee Language Center is excited to welcome Rebecca Todd Garvin, Ph.D., as our new research associate through a partnership with UT Southern. Dr. Garvin, who also serves as an assistant professor at UT Southern in Pulaski, will be leading research on languages, usage and accessibility across Tennessee. 

This new role furthers one of TLC’s founding goals: conducting original research on effective language instruction and sharing that knowledge to strengthen language access statewide.

TLC is pleased to announce our new Director of Interpretation and Translation Services (ITS), Richard Ponce-de-Leon.

Richard joined TLC in 2019 as a project manager for ITS and most recently served as a training specialist. In that role, he coordinated several key programs, including our Medical Interpreter Training Course, Court Interpreter Workshop, Spanish for Medical Personnel program and Spanish Toolkit program.

We recently hosted our second Spanish for Law Enforcement class at the Gallatin Police Department in partnership with our sister agency, the UT Law Enforcement Innovation Center, thanks to funding from the TN Office of Criminal Justice Programs.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is making history—this time in multiple languages! Known as the “Smithsonian of Country Music,” the Museum partnered with the Tennessee Language Center (TLC) to translate and record its Sing Me Back Home audio tour into French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.

TLC is partnering with GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), a federally funded college and career readiness program, to offer our Medical Interpreter Training Course to bilingual high school students at Maplewood High School in Nashville. By participating in this training, students will gain valuable experience and certification, opening doors to career opportunities in healthcare and community services.

TLC Training Specialist Richard Ponce-de-Leon has been chosen as president-elect for the Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators (TAPIT). TAPIT members are professional interpreters and translators of written, spoken and signed languages across the state. TAPIT advocates for interpreters and translators, fosters ethical and professional standards, conducts training and workshops, and promotes communication and discussion about relevant topics.

Eric Amos has been named Executive Director of the Tennessee Language Center. He has been serving as the Interim Executive Director since December 2023. Eric joined TLC in 2018 as an Interpretation Senior Project Coordinator and was named Director of Interpretation and Translation in 2022. He has served as interim Executive Director since December 2023. Eric received his Bachelor of Science in Intercultural Studies from Liberty University and his Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Southeastern College.