For 25 HPS staff members, a celebration held at Nueva Esperanza on June 12 was the culmination of 6 months and 60 hours of study.
These staff members—counselors, family and community engagement coordinators, and more—are now certified level II interpreters for the district. This increase in the number of certified interpreters is a boon to district families, many of whom use translation and interpretation services to access and participate in their child’s education.
“Everyone in this room knows the importance of language access,” said Linnette Clayton, manager of language access for HPS, speaking to the newly certified interpreters. “Today, we are celebrating that together we are making a difference, bringing language justice to families here in Holyoke.”
Ms. Clayton spoke about how the language access services HPS provides to families is a key pillar to making education in Holyoke equitable. Regina Galasso, director of the Translation Center at UMass, also spoke to the honorees, praising Holyoke’s dedication to language access.
Following the ceremony, the new interpreters and their guests enjoyed a salsa performance from Star Dancers’ Unity, who danced to music from West Side Story—a fitting choice for the celebration of Puerto Rican culture and unity. Event participants joined in soon after for an invigorating salsa lesson.
A level II interpreter, as defined by DESE, has demonstrated language proficiency in both English and another language and is permitted to use their professional interpretation skills in school settings—for example, during a parent conference meeting. To become certified, each staff member took a DESE-approved interpreter preparation course, which was offered in Holyoke in partnership with the Translation Center at the University of Massachusetts.