Interpreter and translation internship
It is sometimes hard to describe the diversity in adult education ; in one class , you could meet future nurses , construction workers , business leaders , and teachers of all ages , races , and genders . Our students come from 21 countries . Their prior education is also as diverse . 116 of our learners have advanced degrees and 124 have high school degrees from their native countries .
At Metro North ABE , our role is to identify learners ’ assets and skills and enhance them . As degree holders with bilingual experience , many of our students already act as interpreters and translators in their communities . This spring we offered a class and internship to help learners realize the potential for a career in translating and interpreting .
Learners enrolled in a two-week class to learn workplace skills and then had the opportunity to enroll in an internship where they provided interpreter and translation services for Metro North ABE and Anoka-Hennepin School District . The interns worked directly with Anoka-Hennepin ’ s English Language ( EL ) Cultural Liaisons , Kari Xiong-Carlson and Victoria Campoverde , who provided guidance and strategies for working with multilingual families . Kari stated , “ each intern has such an incredible story of resilience . It was an absolute joy to collaborate with our interns . They have so much drive , passion , and commitment to supporting diverse , multilingual communities .”
Nazly , an intern who is working on completing her GED after she completed high school in Iran , applied to the program saying : “ When I came to the U . S . I didn ’ t know English , I needed someone to translate for me and help me to communicate with people and organizations . This internship will help me to be useful to people who are new here , to help them for better communication .”
After the internship , learners continue on a path to a certificate in translation and interpreting . Each saw how a translator and interpreter certification can enhance their job prospects , whether their careers are in nursing , security , or education .
Skills that lead to leadership
Every day at Metro North ABE is special , but some days just really stand out . When Mulang ’ s brother wanted to focus on his education and get his GED , she brought him to the Blaine Learning Lab . This is where she went to school to get her GED in 2013 and she has fond memories of learning here .
Mulang came to the United States in 2005 from Cambodia . Immigrating at 19 years old was hard . In Cambodia , Mulang had to balance supporting her family business and going to school . That made it hard to graduate high school . “ I knew I didn ’ t just want to have a job and not do more . I needed my GED ,” Muylang said . “ I wanted to learn English . It is so important .”
Mulang didn ’ t just learn English and math , she learned workplace skills that you can ’ t learn anywhere else . “ When I was at Metro North ABE , I had to work with my classmates from around the world . It helped me in my job now . I work with people just like my Metro North ABE classmates . Each of us is from a different country . Each of us is different . I learned something about other cultures from my classes at Metro North ABE and now , I understand that people might react differently or say something different from how I would talk , but I learned to not be shy , just like learning the words of English , I learned how to share with people from around the world .” To read more about Mulang , see the full article on our website www . metronorthabe . org
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