Translation Office
Overview
Our translation services are part of the English Learner Programs of the Educational Services Office and support the work of all SLZUSD sites by providing translation and interpretation services. Currently we service Spanish and Chinese in-house to facilitate communications amongst District staff - bilingual families and community. With over 40 languages spoken by students and families in SLZUSD, the English Learner Programs Office acts as an important resource to make sure that students and families are able to understand key issues, events, and materials that are produced by the District. At the head of this effort is Robert Patrick, Coordinator of English Language Programs, (510) 317-4734, Lynda Garcia, Senior District Translator & Interpreter (510) 317-4740 and Erika Rodriguez, District Translator & Interpreter (510) 317-4701 and Carrie Feng.
SLZUSD Translation & Interpretation Services
The San Lorenzo Unified School District has made a commitment to increase parent and community participation. The Translation's Office role in this commitment is to facilitate a means of communication for parents, staff, and the various diverse communities through professional written translation and oral interpretation services.
Per Education Code Section 48985, when 15 percent or more of the pupils enrolled in a public school that provides instruction in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, speak a single primary language other than English, all notices, reports, statements, or records sent to the parent or guardian of any such pupil by the school or school district shall, in addition to being written in English, be written in the primary language, and may be responded to either in English or the primary language
Among other things, the Translations District Team is tasked with the written translation of IEPs, Psychological assessment reports and anything corresponding to a child’s IEP.
Interpreter Services - How to Request
Procedures for Interpretation Services
Interpretation services are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Translations Services Unit offers both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting (oral communication) and will be responsible for determining the most appropriate technique for your meeting. It is extremely important that you plan your meetings ahead of time and notify us immediately of your interpreting needs.
In order to receive interpreting services, carefully read and complete a Interpretation Request Form. Make sure you complete all the pertinent information on the form and submit it to [email protected]. Due to the high volume of daily requests, please make sure to call us to confirm receipt of your request. If document is time sensitive please note it on the request.
Once your request has been received, you will be contacted before the scheduled meeting to confirm and/or to discuss the availability, interpreting equipment, etc. If there are any changes in the location or starting/ending time of the meeting, or if the meeting has been canceled, please notify us immediately.
If you are planning a conference with workshops, please indicate on the request form the number of workshops and submit a copy of the agenda of the meeting. It's also important to consider if one interpreter is sufficient or if you will need more than one. This will help us better prepare ourselves in order to provide the service you need.
- Graduations/ Awards/ Ceremonies
- Back To School Night
- Student Orientations
- Open House
Translation Services - How to Request
Procedures for Translation Services
- Requests need to be entered at least seven (7) business days in advance, if possible. Keep in mind that turnaround depends on priorities, time sensitivity of the documentation and please consider that processing is linked to word count and current workload.
- Word documents are the ideal format to submit requests. Make sure to turn off "Track Changes". We accept editable PDFs, Excel files, PowerPoint presentations and other formats, if elaborate formatting is needed, it may add to the turnaround time.
- As much as possible, please avoid sending scanned copies because they are not editable.
- Copyrighted materials should not be submitted for translation unless accompanied by written permission.
- Due to liability concerns, we do not provide editing or proofreading services for documents that were translated outside of SLZUSD Translations Service Office.
- Please note that we are not responsible for the quality and accuracy of the translation if it’s altered in any manner after delivery without the look-over of Translation Services.