Gain the Skills You Need to Translate Educational Documents

The Professional Translator in Education (Spanish) Certificate program provides you with a better understanding of the professional protocols for translating and the resources that will increase your professional knowledge, enhance your career path, and prepare you to better serve linguistically diverse students and their families in your school district.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, educational settings must offer linguistically diverse families the translation of essential documents by appropriate and competent individuals as part of their obligations. Preparing documents for students and their families in the language of their choice conveys a commitment to their academic success, encourages family engagement, and fosters better home-school connections.

Snapshot

Format: Live Online

Hours: 30

Credits: 3.0 CEUs

When: Sep. 29 – Nov. 17

Cost: $849

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The Professional Translator in Education (Spanish) Certificate Program provides a comprehensive overview of the field of translation as it applies to the American school system. This course teaches educational terminology, translation methods, effective online translation tools, cultural competence, and translation skills with special populations and situations. This synchronous online course, through its learning content, which includes videos and lesson presentations, discussions, written assignments, and weekly online live meetings, provides the foundation and principles required for a bilingual individual to serve as a professional translator in education. You will learn:

  • The special skills needed to translate documents effectively and accurately
  • Translation methods
  • Translating for diverse audiences
  • Regional and cultural differences
  • Using online translation tools
  • Common pitfalls in educational translations
  • Succeeding as a professional translator

Module 1: Introduction to Translation in Education and Pre-Test

  • Understand the special skills needed to effectively and accurately translate documents from one language to another in the educational setting.
  • Describe the types of audiences and documents that translators in education may encounter in their daily work.
  • Identify some of the resources available to support the translator in education to produce quality translations.

Module 2: Translation Methods

  • Ensure the fidelity to the source using translation methods such as borrowing, calque, and equivalence.
  • Recognize the steps necessary to prepare a document for translation.
  • Discuss and define the appropriate processes to produce a final translated document.

Module 3: Translating for Specific Audiences

  • Recognize the diverse audiences that benefit from translated documents in an education setting.
  • Determine the appropriate register level and translation formats to reach diverse audiences.
  • Increase knowledge of general and special education terminology and methods to produce accurate documents that are understandable to diverse audiences.

Module 4: Regional and Cultural Differences

  • Identify the regional and cultural differences that may affect Spanish translations in the education setting.
  • Describe common words that may be translated differently depending on the country where Spanish is spoken.
  • Recognize the importance of gender in language to ensure that translations are inclusive.

Module 5: Effective Use of Online Translation Tools

  • Describe a variety of online tools available for translators.
  • Examine the advantages and disadvantages of using online tools for translations in education.
  • Identify the points of collaboration between humans and machines to produce accurate translations in education.

Module 6: Common Pitfalls in Educational Translations

  • Identify words that appear to be similar in English and Spanish but have different meanings.
  • Examine how context becomes important when selecting the appropriate vocabulary to produce accurate translations

Module 7: Succeeding as a Professional Translator

  • Identify specific paths to becoming a professional freelance translator in education.
  • Recognize the importance of continuing education and the benefits of specialization.

Who Should Attend?

Individuals who are bilingual (English and Spanish) and fall into the following categories:

  • Teachers, staff, administrators of public, private or charter schools, and other education institutions
  • Individuals who work with teachers, staff and administrators of public, private or charter schools and other institutions
  • Interpreters and translators currently employed in educational institutions
  • Independent interpreters
  • Interpreters with other interpreting credentials, such as those who have completed the Spanish/English Medical Interpreter Certificate Program or the Spanish/English Legal Interpreter Certificate Program.
  • Individuals seeking employment in educational organizations
  • Individuals seeking their first professional interpreting certificate

Course Information

Course Number: 

1392-004

Course Date: 
Monday, September 29, 2025 to Monday, November 17, 2025
Course Date Info: 

Sessions with the instructor will be held on the following Monday evenings from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ET:

  • September 29
  • October 13
  • October 27
  • November 10
Course format: 

Online, cohort-based, with asynchronous activities and live online classes.

Course Fee(s): 

$819

Ana Soler, the course author and instructor, is the Chairperson of the National Association of Educational Translators and Interpreters of Spoken Languages (NAETISL) and Founder of SeSo, Inc., a source of qualified and trained interpreters and multicultural family engagement workshops. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Georgia State University, her master’s degree in Public Health at Emory University, and is a Ph.D. in Special Education student at the University of Georgia. For over a decade, Ana worked with the largest school district in Georgia as the Language Services and Parent Outreach Coordinator, developing, implementing, and evaluating professional development opportunities for multilingual personnel and supporting schools with interpreter/translator quality assurance.

While working as a Multicultural Program Coordinator for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Ana assisted with the creation of the hospital's interpretation and translation department. She also coordinated interpreter training for bilingual staff, oversaw cultural competency training for physicians and staff, and provided medical translation quality assurance and guidelines. Ana has authored interpreter training curricula nationally, including the Intercultural Parent and Youth Leadership Program, the Interpretation Academy for Bilingual High School Students, the Arkansas Interpreter in Education Credential Training, a 40-hour course for medical interpreters, and other online courses for the University of Georgia, including the Professional Interpreter in Education Certificate course and the Professional Interpreter in Special Education Certificate course. She remains an active medical and educational interpreter and translator.