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PALMS
The term interpretation refers to the process of orally rendering communication from one language into another language.
Translation is the preparation of a written text form language into an equivalent written text in another language (Rainof 1980).
It is clear that English learners constitute a significant portion of California public school students. However, while children will acquire English language skills and proficiency, their parents and guardians may not. Effective translation and interpretation in our education system not only is necessary to comply with state and federal laws, but also is critical to meaningful parental participation and student success.
When 15 percent or more of the pupils enrolled in the school speak a single primary language other than English, all notices, reports, statements, or records sent by the school or district to the parents/guardians of any such pupil must, in addition to being written in English, be written in such primary language, and may be responded to by the parent or guardian in English or in the primary language. (EC 48985)
The California Department of Education annually identifies all schools with 15 percent or more of students who speak a single primary language other than English, by language(s), based on the home language survey data from the most recent Language Census R-30.
In addition, federal law requires that schools and districts provide information in an understandable format and to the extent practicable in a language that is understandable to the parent, regardless of the percentage of students who speak a language other than English. This information includes parental notification documents related to state plans, academic standards, academic assessments, reports, annual state report cards, annual district report cards, school-wide programs, school improvement plans, and parental involvement activities. (NCLB 1111[h][6][C] and 3302[c])
These glossaries were developed by the PALMS Office to encourage more consistent use of words and terms commonly found in state and federal education communication.
These glossaries do not contain all possible regional, dialectical, or colloquial variations. For many terms, more than one translation is correct, however, it is our intent to standardize the terms we use when communication with parents in the Long Beach Unified School District. Extensive collaboration and review with district and state bilingual personnel were conducted as these glossaries were developed.
An excellent resource for sites is the California Department of Education publication, Quality Indicators for Translation and Interpretation in Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve Educational Settings. A copy was recently sent to each school site by the PALMS Office. If a site should need an additional copy, please contact the PALMS Office.
Special thanks to the PALMS Office Interpreters / Translators: María Herrera, Oscar Herrera, and Pedro Leal.
