Business

No Parent Left Behind: LSP Effectiff Makes Education in the US a Family Affair through Language Services

NY Weekly Staff

March 28, 2024
5:40 pm

Language service provider (LSP) Effectiff highlights the necessity of viewing parents as key stakeholders in education. It posits that Language Access is key to facilitating their involvement in children’s learning outcomes.

The paradox of language is that it can be both a bridge and a barrier. For some, it opens doors to understanding and belonging, while for others, it can be a hurdle that keeps them from fully participating in a community. That’s especially true for education. In big American cities like New York, where multilingual families are abundant, the diversity of languages spoken at home can enrich the educational environment yet also challenge schools to provide inclusive communication.

The government recognizes the issues, and dating back to the 1960s, US law mandates that state and educational institutions provide free Language Access in multiple languages, including American Sign Language, for students and their families. Simply put, schools that receive federal funds must provide information to families with limited English proficiency in their native language so they can participate fully in their children’s education.

Alex Leschinsky, CEO of Effectiff, believes that Language Access enables schools to effectively communicate with learners, ensuring equal opportunities for involvement and support in the educational process. And while many think of Language Access as primarily a tool for non-English-speaking students or students with limited English proficiency (LEP), it’s equally vital for their parents. Effectiff strives to provide language support to both children and their parents to encourage full family participation in the learning journey.

Why Language Access for Parents and Caregivers Matters

In the US, where linguistic diversity is a defining characteristic, many families experience a communication challenge with their local educational institutions. According to the 2022 Census data, 45 million of the 333 million American population were born outside the US, and close to 68 million individuals use a language other than English in their households. It is unsurprising that about 21% of school-age children in the country speak a language other than English at home with their families. And while children, surrounded by English at school, are quick to pick up the language, their parents or guardians, despite residing in the United States for years or more, may still struggle with English fluency.

This discrepancy brings with it a slew of problems that are not actively discussed in the public discourse. School students’ caregivers may have difficulty going about seemingly simple tasks like understanding homework assignments and helping children complete them, communicating with teachers during conferences, or following school policies and procedures. These roadblocks are bound to affect children whose performance at school may suffer, not to mention lost academic opportunities like scholarships, contests, and study-related travel – all due to the language barrier preventing parents from accessing this information.

This doesn’t mean that the lack of Language Access only affects the families in question. In fact, schools’ ratings depend on the active participation and academic success of their students, both of which are likely to take a hit without solid communication and involvement from those families. Language Access restores academic meritocracy and ensures that every student’s family has the resources to fully engage in their learning journey – a recipe for a high school rating and improved reputation in a community. This leads to an important chain reaction: high-performing schools attract more affluent residents, who, in turn, contribute higher taxes. This creates a symbiotic relationship where the ROI in Language Access translates into a more robust and resourceful educational system.

How LSP Effectiff Supports Schools’ Language Access Initiatives

Language Access support requires extensive translation and interpretation work: translation involves converting written text from one language to another, while interpretation is the real-time oral translation of speech that facilitates spoken communication. These two processes often involve third-party services. Language service providers take on a substantial load and may be asked to take care of translating and interpreting:

Report cards and academic progress reports
Homework assignments and instructional materials
School notices and policies
Parent-teacher conferences and district meetings
Educational workshops or seminars aimed at parents
IEP (Individualized Education Programs) meetings for parents of students with special educational needs, etc.

Effectiff Rapid Translate helps schools and families deal with all these educational communication aspects. Effectiff is a professional translation services company that provides quality language solutions to clients from diverse industries and sectors, including healthcare and education. Having worked with thousands of clients, Effectiff experts know that school language support is not limited to written translation and interpretation during IEP-related events or parent-teacher conferences. The company is actively leveraging modern technology, including AI and video remote interpreting (VRI).

Thanks to the smart use of machine translation and machine learning, Alex’s team of linguists translate many documents into diverse languages to provide timely support to students and their families. VRI allows teachers to connect with interpreters within 30 seconds, guaranteeing swift and accurate communication even if they need it urgently. The LSP experts also ensure that cultural sensitivity is at the forefront of every interaction thanks to profound training on cultural competency and linguistic nuances.

The company also goes the extra mile to craft a unique language support strategy for each institution, working closely with school administration and management. “No two schools are the same when it comes to Language Access needs, so we don’t follow a one-size-fits-all approach here.” This commitment allows Effectiff to bring a true change to the institutions they work with. It fosters a deeper level of engagement and understanding between families and educators by bringing down language barriers.

Looking ahead, one can expect the US language access laws to become more comprehensive and cover more ground. After all, schools are becoming even more diverse, with students and families speaking various languages. The laws will demand higher standards of accuracy and cultural sensitivity from translation and interpretation services. LSPs like Effectiff are welcoming the challenge, equipped with seasoned language experts, robust remote interpretation technology, and a powerful AI toolset fine-tuned to meet schools’ unique needs.