Somerville multilingual services team outlines expanded in‑house capacity, DESE training grant and equipment needs

The Somerville Public Schools multilingual services team told the School Committee on Jan. 13 that it has substantially increased in‑house interpretation capacity, reduced outside contracting costs and won a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) grant to fund training for interpreters.

Ruth Santos introduced the team and said the office has matured from ad hoc services into a consolidated unit that now includes full‑time staff and a growing pool of vetted interpreters.

“Since Sept. we facilitated over 131 interpreted sessions,” Vanusa de Sheira, Portuguese interpreter and translator, told the committee. Vanusa said the most common request languages are Portuguese, Spanish and Haitian Creole and that the majority of requests are being covered by in‑house staff.

Mikaela Yang, coordinator for multilingual services, said a recent DESE grant funded training so staff and pool members can meet a new state standard for interpretation in education. “This year, we were awarded a DESE grant that enabled us to provide this training program to our full time staff, including special ed interpreters and some members of our pool,” she said, and added that the district is one of the first in Massachusetts to offer the training to its interpreters.

Viviana O’Toole, the district’s Spanish translator, described the office’s translation workflow and the team’s emphasis on cultural and audience sensitivity. “We don’t just translate word for word. We make sure the message makes sense and delivers the actual meaning,” she said, noting the office’s internal review process.

Staff said expanding the in‑house pool reduced reliance on outside agencies and cut expenses roughly in half; Mikaela credited the payroll team, which had to process many more individual timesheets as a result. The team also said it is building a district glossary of education terms to produce consistent translations and exploring whether Somerville could eventually train staff from other districts.

The presenters flagged two operational needs: headset and simultaneous‑interpretation equipment that are “getting really old” and will require replacement, and better coordination with the city’s own newly hired language services coordinator. Committee members recommended linking the district calendar and the equity office’s live list of cultural and religious observances so families and partner organizations can find consistent information.

Superintendent Kumar thanked the team and noted the office’s work aligns with the district’s equity goals. Committee members asked about coordinating with the city and suggested a community of practice to align terminology and staffing between city and school translation services.

The committee did not take formal action but directed staff to continue the work and to bring calendar‑linking options and equipment cost estimates back to the committee for follow up.