Gia Nghi describes what can happen when children are used

as interpreters.

"It was just one of those scariest experiences ever.  I always thought I was going to get into trouble if I interpreted something wrong.  There were times I didn't understand what the government official asked of me to interpret."

Avoid using a child as an interpreter:

~ "It causes unnecessary stress for the child, perhaps placing them in a situation where they are interpreting concepts and circumstances they don't necessarily understand or far too adult for their knowledge and their experience."

~ "It disrupts the balance in the family between the child and their parent which can cause unnecessary stress in the family."

~

"It

Why We Do This

We believe students should be students when they attend school.  Our years of experience in a school district setting enabled us to see the impact on students when they were asked to interpret for their parents.  This occurs in non-school settings as well.  We provide the services needed so your staff can communicate the information needing to be shared between adults.

We believe schools, programs, and businesses can Build Strong Connections when outreach to parents, families, and clients occur in a home language other than just English.  We currently specialize in English-Spanish connections but can conduct the research and connections needed if you have other second language needs of communication.

We believe ongoing training matters and if you have bilingual staff currently doing this work, providing a place where they can build upon their skills and connect with other translators/interpreters will increase their confidence, efficiency, and delivery of services.

Why AI Doesn't Do It All

Just as Google Translate is unable to interpret cultural and contextual differences in messages, and the need to translate for proper gender nouns and pronouns in Spanish, the use of Artificial Intelligence does not remedy these issues either, nor is it capable of processing the Spanish language's numerous dialectal variations.

Outreach Communications provides professionally trained translators and interpreters who will establish the working relationship necessary to ensure your communication is properly expressed from English to Spanish or Spanish to English.  We use a human centered approach, accessing all available resources to ensure your translation is provided in the same professional level, without mistakes, just as you would with your English communication.

The increase of AI for interpretation needs shows an even greater discrepancy between what is said and what is interpreted.  The use idioms, regional references (linguistic features peculiar to a particular region), and individual dialects, creates difficulty for professional AI interpretation.

Why Now

Over a cup of coffee in Corvallis, Oregon, as friends and colleagues, we discussed what could be developed to support those who need translation and interpretation services but did not have staff on site to complete that work.  With our history of developing a district welcome center, and a dedication to fostering strong connections between school staff and their Spanish-speaking families, we founded Outreach Communications LLC.  We specialize in tailored translation/interpretation services, training for translators and school staff, and preparation of bilingual staff to take the National Certification for Spoken Language Interpreters in Education premiering in 2025.

Our initial goal was to strengthen communication and connections, ensuring every student and parent can fully participate in their educational experience. As we talked and developed our goals, we realized more than school districts needed this service. 

If you are a community program, small business, or local community agency we can discuss your needs for outreach to your Spanish speaking staff and families; providing a specialized package of support.