Education Beyond 6th Grade: Dreams Can Come True

StS hosts 10-12 Medical Brigades in Honduras each year.  These are American medical professionals who come to the mountains of southern Intibuca to provide medical services.  We are always looking for Honduras who have mastered English, whom we can hire to be translators.  It is often hard to find enough translators.

During my recent trip to Honduras, I had the privelege of meeting with the High School principal and 8 students who have been in the StS Bilingual Education program for the past 10 years.  These students were selected because of their mastery of English.  As I sat there, I had an "AHA" moment.....I thought to myself "why can't these students become Translators?"

I asked the students what they thought of that, and I was pleased to hear that two of them had already spent time with a Medical Brigade, to see how it was.  In the photo above, you will meet Rosa and Luci.  They both have lots of interest in being translators.  But, as Rosa explained "We need to learn the English words for more of the medical terms."  I thought this was a very astute observation, and I suggested to them and the Principal that perhaps the English teacher who provides Enhanced English classes to the students after school hours, could put a focus on MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY.  

We are excited to enter into this new endeavor, and hope that by encouraging our own bilingual students to become translators, that we will have a group of "Home Grown" Translators.

If anyone knows of a curriculum or training program for translators, we would love to hear from you.