Translation work "creating positive change in society"
Eva Maria Corregidor Luna (left) and Kenia Coronel González are among a group of Rutgers students translating materials for New Jersey nonprofits.
Rutgers students are using their world language skills to help New Jersey nonprofits better serve vulnerable communities.
Four students recently translated thousands of words into Spanish for Disability Rights New Jersey, the state’s designated protection and advocacy organization for people with disabilities. The nonprofit has introduced an interactive tool on its website that guides young people with disabilities and their caregivers through the process of composing a comprehensive plan for their future.
The translation work performed by the Rutgers students will allow for the launch of a Spanish language version.
Laura Ramirez Polo, a professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese who oversees The Language Bank.
“We could not have done this project in the time frame we did it without Rutgers,” says Lisa M. Quartarolo, the managing attorney for Disability Rights New Jersey’s Youth Practice Group. “There was an overwhelming amount of content to be translated. The Rutgers team was wonderful, and the turnaround has been amazing.”
The translations were provided through The Language Bank, a free service at Rutgers that’s part of The Language Center in the School of Arts and Sciences.
“It’s a win-win situation,” says Laura Ramirez Polo, a professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese who oversees The Language Bank. “We want to help New Jersey organizations serve their diverse communities, and at the same time provide students with real-world experience using their language skills to help others.”
The student translators for the project are members of RU Bilingual, a graduate student organization that promotes the benefits of bilingualism. They said their work was a labor of love.
“Knowing that it is going to help so many people is exciting,” says Eva Maria Corregidor Luna, a PhD candidate studying bilingualism and second language acquisition in the Spanish and Portuguese department.
Yhosep Barba is co-director of RU Bilingual.
Yhosep Barba, also a PhD candidate in bilingualism and second language acquisition, noted that he grew up in Colombia where students were required to do public service beginning in their sophomore year of high school.
“Working with the community makes us feel like we’re creating positive change in society,” says Barba, who is co-director of RU Bilingual. “It is hard to be in a country when you don’t speak the language, so any kind of access that you can provide—to legal services or to get to know the system—that is very useful.”
Kenia Coronel González, who is pursuing a masters’ degree in translation and interpreting, said the project was perfect preparation for her career. She is currently interning at N.J. Legal Services where she translates legal documents for clients and plans on becoming a language interpreter.
“I want to be that bridge for people who aren’t able to speak certain languages,” she said. “Connecting people through language is something I have always wanted to do in my life.”
Kenia Coronel González says "Connecting people through language is something I have always wanted to do in my life.”Since its inception, The Language Bank has prepared translations for multiple organizations in 10 languages: Korean, French, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian. Current projects include materials for the Make a Wish Foundation and Bergen’s Promise.
Ramirez Polo also cited the work of a current graduate student, Jose Colon Franco, who recently translated videos for The Brain Injury Alliance that are geared to Spanish-speaking survivors of brain injuries and their caregivers.
“Language access is essential in a multilingual state like New Jersey,” says Ramirez Polo, who coordinates the Translation and Interpreting Program in the Spanish and Portuguese Department. “We at Rutgers want to do our part while at the same time fostering and respecting the work of professional translators and interpreters.”
The project that the students worked on for Disability Rights New Jersey is called: Accessing Strategies to Prepare Youth for Independence and Responsibility, or ASPYIR.
The online tool is aimed at students ages 14 to 21 who have individualized education programs, or IEPs. Participants are asked a series of detailed questions aimed at determining their future direction, and what accommodations or services they would need in specific situations.
"Knowing that (translating) is going to help so many people is exciting," says Eva Maria Corregidor Luna.
At the end of the process, users can print out a complete report which they can use to advocate for themselves.
“We envision it as an empowerment tool that can be used in various scenarios such as education, employment, and independent living,” Quartarolo says.
The translation work required a high degree of precision as it involved technical and legal language.
The Rutgers students said they’d often do the work at home, rolling up their sleeves after a long day of graduate classes.
“I’d just put some music on and start translating,” Barba said.
Luna said the project was an intriguing change of pace from her normal routine.
“I am usually focused on my teaching and research, and this project gave me something new to focus on, and that was very rewarding,” she said.
The Language Bank contributed to Rutgers's seventh annual Translate-a-thon, a one-day event where students and others perform short-term translation projects that benefit the university community and beyond.