DENVER – As the University of Colorado Denver prepares to welcome new students, the university is providing language interpretation technology for Spanish-speaking students and families.
The technology, which includes a headset and live interpreter, was first used during CU Denver's Admitted Students Day event on April 21.
“We've been talking about this for a long time," said CU Denver Assistant Director for First Generation LatinX Outreach Jaime Alvarez. "When we started the process of coordinating the event, the Admitted Students Day, we wanted to provide the event in Spanish for the students and parents who requested Spanish. Twenty-five percent of our students are Latino at CU Denver. And recently, in the last couple years, the number of Latino students that are admitted at CU Denver has actually increased by about 10%.”
Alvarez said many of their students often translate for their parents.
“But the students might be missing out on some of the information because they're trying to focus on translating,” Alvarez said. “It's really about a language inclusivity and our goal of trying to be as inclusive as possible.”
Jorge Estrada, a potential CU Denver student from Brighton who attended Admitted Students Day, said the technology was helpful for his mom.
“I think it's really helpful for people like my mom. I brought my sister along with me because she understands more. But I think it's also really helpful that she has a device so she can understand herself,” Estrada said. “I want her to know everything that's happening, like what I'm going to do in the future. So I think it's important for her to be able to understand and have that tool.”
Alvarez said they plan to continue using the technology at future events.
