VOA慢速英语2021--打破移民父母的语言障碍

Breaking the Language Barrier for Immigrant Parents

As the number of English learners in American schools continues to rise, it is not just students that are going to need more help.

Parents and families that do not speak English also need support, say school officials. Parents need to feel like they can be actively¹ involved in their child's schooling², regardless of any language barriers.

And it is "on us as a district to create that space" for families to be involved, said Leonor Vargas. She is an administrator³ with the Austin Independent School District in Texas, where almost 30 percent of the student population are English learners.

She and Principal Janet Huger-Johnson of the East New York Elementary School of Excellence⁴ shared their experiences last week in an online discussion with the news organization EducationWeek.

It is important for parents and families to be able to communicate in their desired language. Johnson said her school, for example, uses a phone app that permits teachers and administrators⁵ to send messages in English that will translate to the parent's language. And when the parent responds, the message is translated back into English. She added that sometimes the school will need to hire people in the community to help with translation.

Beyond language barriers, parents and family members should feel like they are part of the school community, the officials said. That means getting to know every family through online or in-person meetings and creating space for parents from similar backgrounds to communicate with each other about their concerns. Vargas said just asking parents simple questions like what their child's dreams are, or what their child is good at, will quickly start a conversation.

"They have to believe that the educational system does not stop at the school's door," Johnson said. "They have to believe that it's no different than where they came from."

Understanding cultural differences is also important.

Vargas shared a story from her district where some Afghan students were not eating food provided by the school. After speaking with the families, the teachers found the students were not eating because they were unfamiliar⁶ with the food. So, Vargas and other school teachers will soon hold an event where families can taste the food and know what their children are eating. Schools will also start sending home translated menus.

Schools can "find value in education through their culture," Johnson said.

Parents that do not speak English need to feel that they are equal to any other parent in the school community, they said. And if schools do not offer support to families, the results can cause problems.

A recent investigation⁷ by The Associated Press found that schools in the city of Philadelphia often provide little support to immigrant parents. Some parents said the school system offered poor translation services.

Mandy is a parent in Philadelphia who speaks Mandarin⁸. Her child has special needs. She told the AP that during one meeting, a telephone translator said she did not know anything about special education and refused to translate. Recently, she had to bring a friend to the school to translate during a school meeting.

"It feels like immigrant parents are deliberately¹⁰ excluded and pushed to the margins," Mandy said.

Students in English education programs are a large and growing population in American schools. The U.S. Department of Education says that the number of English learners increased by more than 1 million from 2000 to 2020. Forty-three states saw increases in English learners over that time.

And U.S. Census¹¹ data showed that the number of people who speak languages other than English at home increased by more than 8 million over the last 10 years. Almost 22 percent of American households speak a foreign language at home.

The Department of Education Office of Civil Rights requires schools to provide translation services to families in whatever language they speak. Schools must not use other students to translate or use other untrained workers.

In Philadelphia, however, the AP found that schools often use students for translation.

Olivia Ponce, another parent in Philadelphia, also had problems with language. She tried to talk to a school official when her daughter was being bullied¹² at school. The school's translator was not available, so the official had another Spanish-speaking student translate. The student did not translate well, and the discussion went poorly. Ponce kept her daughter home for a week.

"I didn't know we had rights and that they couldn't take students out of class to help translate for us...They never told us this," Ponce told the AP. "What I want is for parents to know that when their children start an education, they have a right to be a part of it."

Words in This Story

district — n. an area established by a government for official government business

principal — n. the person in charge of a public school

menu — n. a list of the foods that may be ordered at a restaurant

deliberate⁹ — adj. to think about or discuss something very carefully in order to make a decision

exclude — v. to prevent someone from doing something or being a part of a group

marginalize — v. to put or keep someone in a powerless or unimportant¹³ position within a society or group

bully¹⁴ — v. to frighten, hurt, or threaten

1 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

2 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。

3 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

4 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

5 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

6 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

9 deliberate   

adj.故意的，深思熟虑的；v.仔细考虑

参考例句：

• You should deliberate over the question before you respond to it.回答问题之前你应该慎重考虑。
• His actions were clearly the result of deliberate calculation.他的行动显然是精心策划过的。

10 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

11 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

12 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 unimportant   

adj.不重要的，无意义的

参考例句：

• Let's not quarrel about such unimportant matters.我们不要为这些小事争吵了。
• Money seems unimportant when sets beside the joys of family life.与天伦之乐相比，金钱显得微不足道。

14 bully   

n.恃强欺弱者，小流氓；vt.威胁，欺侮

参考例句：

• A bully is always a coward.暴汉常是懦夫。
• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。