There is a fire burning in your apartment. Flames licking the wall, surrounded by smoke, you grab your two-year old son, Javier, and bolt down the stairs. Safely outside, you watch the billowing cloud engulf the building. You dial 911 from your cell phone as you run outside, balancing Javier on one hip.
Dispatch answers: "911, what's your emergency?"
You freeze. You have no idea what the operator is saying, so you blurt out the first thing that you can think of: "¡Fuego!"
Imagine being in an emergency and not being able to advocate for yourself.
Then, imagine a situation less urgent but every bit as difficult: living every day without being able to communicate with the majority of the community in which you live.
How would that feel?
We will be exploring the relationship between language and identity, delving into how language both brings people together and isolates people. After exploring the relationship between language and connection/isolation, we will consider the needs of Spanish-speakers in Durango and the surrounding communities.
Your final task is to translate a document into Spanish to make it available to the Hispanic population.
In pairs, you will:
· Identify information that you and your family regularly access to be informed members of the community.
· Identify community needs
o Look for what information is/is not available in Spanish in Durango (pamphlets, news bulletins, etc).
o Explore community needs by contacting local groups involved with community outreach within the Hispanic community and asking them what resources are needed in Spanish
o Interview a native Spanish speaker regarding what information he/she wishes were available in Spanish
· Find something you feel passionate about to translate.
· Delve into the grammar and vocabulary to translate that document
· Design 2 lessons in support of the translation work you will be doing (1 on a pertinent grammar topic, 1 on relevant vocabulary (10-15 words))
· Translate the document and distribute it to the organizations/individuals who will get it into the hands of Spanish speakers
Resources we'll investigate:
· How to Tame a Wild Tongue from Borderlands: Frontera by Gloria Anzaldúa
· No Speak English from La Casa en Mango Street by Sandra Cisnero
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