The Rotary Club of Jamestown recently donated 14 pairs of Ambassador Interpreter earbuds to Jamestown Public Schools for use with English as a New Language students and staff. The earbuds allow students and staff to hear conversations translated in real time during class time, with families and during the school day.
Rotary Club Vision Committee Chair Ruth Lundin says, "Three things stood out when we were asked to consider providing the translation earbuds. First, it is important for students who arrive in Jamestown knowing little or no English to learn the curriculum to have a means to stay invested in attending school and to find value in their time as they integrate into the community. We also saw that the request originated from teachers and administrators who were dealing directly with the students, so we were confident they would be enthusiastically supported. Third, the Rotary Club of Jamestown could be more flexible and respond to the immediate need for a pilot program to help build practical experience showing how these earbuds would be beneficial on a larger scale."
The Ambassador Interpreter earbuds are a high-quality translation tool that helps prevent language barriers. As an interpreter, the earbuds actively listen for someone speaking near you and translates their speech into the native language through an app on a cell phone or computer. The earbuds have the ability to translate 20 languages and 42 dialects. JPS has been looking for a way to help their ENL students throughout their school day.
Dr. Faith Graham, a JHS ENL teacher, says, "It's our responsibility to make content comprehensible for our language learners. The earbuds will make classes much easier for students. While our bilingual students are very helpful to each other, it's hard for them to translate while trying to pay attention and take their own notes. It can also be disruptive to the class, even though they are on task. Between our bilingual paraprofessionals, translated documents, bilingual classmates, translation apps on school devices, and now these earbuds -- we have several resources to help our teachers and students make content comprehensible to all levels of language learners."
JHS students are just beginning to use the earbuds but are finding them very helpful.
Jamestown High School teacher Lora Pirrello and students Joyce Hernandez and Juan Matos demonstrate how the new translation earbuds work to Rotary Club of Jamestown representatives John Healy, Chair of the Community Service Fund and Ruth Lundin, Chair of the Vision Committee. Photo by Jamestown Public Schools
