Lost in translation
During the school day at Lafayette, two translators who speak Burmese, Karen, Arabic and Somali between them are available to assist students. Interpreters from various local agencies are assigned to translate during mid-terms and final exams.
Regents exams are an entirely different story.
For Regents tests given in January and June, editions of five exams were available in five languages other than English – traditional Chinese, Haitian Creole, Korean, Russian and Spanish. Bilingual dictionaries were also permitted.
But the top five spoken languages among Lafayette students in 2012 were Spanish, Karen, Nepali, Burmese and Arabic.
The school district hires between 12 and 15 interpreters to translate the languages spoken most among students for the Regents exams. Still, Principal Naomi Cerre said, Lafayette's students enter the test at a disadvantage because they aren't taught the material in their native language.
Several times, Cerre said, she has requested the district hire 10 more translators for the school but was told it wouldn't be possible for fiscal reasons. In the last five years, the district has increased spending on multilingual services, which includes translators, from $12,000 to $100,000, according to district spokeswoman Elena Cala.
The district adds multilingual faculty when possible, but it's difficult to find interpreters who cover all the dialects spoken, Cala added.
The Regents tests have been a challenge for GK. In June, he learned he still had one English Regents exam to pass, preventing him from receiving his diploma.
"I was about to give up," the native Swahili speaker said, his eyes cast downward.
Ultimately, GK decided to spend the months after his senior year preparing to retake the exam. From 8 to 10:30 a.m., he went to summer school. After that, he headed to a local community college, where he stayed until 3 p.m. for additional help.
GK retook the exam in early August and just found out he didn't pass.
"I had really tried hard. I couldn't believe it," he said.
The availability of the Spanish language exam was a help for Elisandra Mercado, who moved here from Puerto Rico with family when she was 11. But she's watched close friends fall short of graduation because of one or two failed exams. Before attending Lafayette, Elisandra was enrolled at another Buffalo school, where she felt out of place.
"Everybody spoke English, and I didn't know that much. It's hard because everyone looks at you like, 'What are you saying?' " she said. "You feel rejected."
Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/09/10/language-barriers-complicate-life-at-failing-buffalo-high-school/
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