The Scala Publishing Group (TSPG) announces the launch of a unique program that will bring professional literary translators to work in Washington public school classrooms and community centers to lead workshops in the art of translation. With the partial support of a seed grant from BECU, and in partnership with the Seattle Arts and Lectures’ "Writers in the Schools" (WITS) program, TSPG is developing a pilot program for "Learning in Translation," or LIT, in two schools in Spring 2007.

The mission of LIT will be help students of all linguistic backgrounds acquire the skills of translating non-English texts into English. In classroom settings, LIT translators will team native English-speaking students with their ELL (English Language Learning) classmates for the purpose of translating texts from the ELL students' native languages.

Through a semester-long process of team translations, ELL students will improve both acquire valuable translation skills while at the same time improving their English abilities, while their native English-speaking partners will gain invaluable insights into new languages and cultures. In addition to addressing several Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) in unique multi-cultural settings, LIT will also introduce professional translation as a viable career option for multi-lingual students.

Why Translation?

As the home to more than 110 unique and active languages, King County is second only to Los Angeles County as the most linguistically diverse region in the United States. School districts throughout the county face the daily challenge of teaching a large and growing population of ELL students, while the public and private sector continues to experience a shortage of professionally trained translators and interpreters. By introducing translation on a programmatic level to public school students, LIT will help public school teachers address several vital EALRs, introduce multi-lingual students to a possible career path, and offer a unique multi-cultural learning environment to classrooms and their larger communities.

LIT and EALRs

The in-class programming developed by LIT will be designed to introduce students to the full range of tools a translator must use. Students will learn how to examine not only the literal meaning of words and phrases, but their social and cultural meanings as well. ELL students, working from texts in their own languages, will help provide both the literal meanings as well as the cultural contexts, while their native-English translation partners will help to bring those meanings into "readable" and "meaningful" English. As a result of this collaborative process, LIT will effectively address the following EALRs in communication, reading, and writing, as defined by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction:

Communication

• Use of language to interact effectively and responsibly in a multicultural context.
• Use of interpersonal skills and strategies in a multicultural context to work collaboratively, solve problems, and perform tasks.
• Use of skills and strategies to communicate interculturally.

In addition, a Washington State EALR for social studies calls for programs to develop "responsible citizens in a culturally diverse, democratic society within an interdependent world." By working in teams that comprise both native-English and ELL students, LIT will also effectively create a fertile multi-cultural learning environment for both students and their communities.

Curriculum Developer Wanted

We are currently hiring two contract positions to help develop the LIT curriculum. If you are a professional translator with teaching experience, or a public school curriculum developer with experience developing for multi-language or multi-ethnic programming, please contact us via email, or call Mark White (206.706.3339) for a full job description.

LIT is made possible in part by the generous support of the following organizations: