The Special Steps

 Sample Page from The Special Steps Workbook 131kb download (less than 30 seconds on 28.8)

The Special Steps is a 28-page workbook that has been designed to assist anyone who is involved in translating documents from English to Spanish for the Special Education Department. Be they letters home to parents, manuals, informational pamphlets, legal documents, or any other correspondence to parents, properly translated documents assure that your department, your school and your district project a professional image. In addition, The Special Steps is a valuable tool for your interpreters at an IEP, or any other parent meeting. Many translators and interpreters, be they native to the language or not, often encounter words and phrases that are difficult to translate. Adding to this is the large amount of terminology and jargon that is an integral part of the field of special education. This may be a small workbook, but it will be an invaluable resource to your Department. Here are just a few items covered:

• All about Acronyms
• Cognate Words
• Dividing Words at the End of a Line
• Written Accent Marks
• How to Write Adverbs
• Members of the IEP Team
• Tips for the Translator
• Tips for the Interpreter
• Preparing the Parent for the IEP

As an added feature for the translator, several typical sentences sent home to parents are already translated. Simply add names and dates. Here’s an example: We will be discussing the progress that (student’s name) has made on the goals from his/her previous IEP. Hablaremos del progreso que (student’s name) ha logrado en las metas de su plan previo de PEI. Last, and certainly not least, The Special Steps includes a glossary of over 2000 words & terms ranging from conductive hearing loss to guide dog; from Least Restrictive Environment to short-term objective & from IEP to PECS.

Who may benefit from The Special Steps?

• Native Spanish-speakers who have not received formal education in the Spanish language.
• Native English-speakers who are fluent in Spanish, but who may need assistance with translating documents and interpreting at parent meetings.
• The student of Spanish who is still acquiring the language and is anxious to build his or her vocabulary.
• The special education professional who is anxious to acquire some knowledge of the Spanish language as it relates to his or her career.
• ANYONE interested in bridging the communication gap with Spanish-speaking parents!

. . . and it’s all still for only $16.95