Translation Services

Translation Services supports the work of the District by providing translation services in multiple languages to facilitate communications among District staff and bilingual families and communities. With over 40 languages spoken by students and families in OUSD, the Translation Services office acts as an important resource to make sure that students and families are able to understand key issues, events, and materials that are produced by the District.

The Translation Services Office was created in the mid-1990s when more than one-third of the students enrolled in the District came from non-English-speaking families. Per Education Code Section 48985, if 15 percent or more of the pupils enrolled in a public school that provides instruction in kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, speak a single primary language other than English, all notices, reports, statements, or records sent to the parent or guardian of any such pupil by the school or school district shall, in addition to being written in English, be written in the primary language, and may be responded to either in English or the primary language.

Request Process

Submit this form to request translation services.

We ask for 2 weeks advance notice to ensure availability of translators/interpreters.

More resources about our policies

Goals/Priorities

• Provide excellent translation services to assist communications among District staff and bilingual families and communities
• Find meaningful ways to expand the District's ability to serve non-English-speaking families that are beyond our current capacity

How Our Work is Part of the Strategic Plan

The Translation services office supports multilingual students, families, staff, and communities in the District by translating key materials related to the progress of transforming OUSD into a Full Service Community District.

Staffing & Languages

To support the translation needs of multilingual students and families in the District, the Translation Services office is made up of the following staff members:

• Five (5) Full-Time Spanish Interpreter/Translator Specialists
• Two (2) Full-Time Chinese Interpreter/Translator Specialists
• One (1) Part-Time Mandarin Interpreter/Translator Specialist
• One (1) Part-Time Cambodian (Khmer) Interpreter/Translator Specialist
• One (1) Full-Time Vietnamese Interpreter/Translator Specialist 
• One (2) Full-Time Arabic Interpreter/Translator Specialists

The office provides translation services-both oral and written-in the following languages:

• Spanish
• Chinese (written) / Cantonese (oral) / Mandarin (oral)
• Vietnamese
• Cambodian (Khmer)
• Arabic

Additional Newcomer Community Navigators

To supplement the above services, and in order to meet the needs of recently arrived refugee and asylum-seeking newcomers, the Newcomer and Refugee/Asylee Services Program within the ELLMA (English Language Learner and Multilingual Achievement) office hires Community Navigators to serve several other language groups and help families navigate OUSD systems. Some Community Navigators are available on-call, and others are available through partner Community-Based Organizations:

• Mam
• Arabic
• Karen
• Burmese
• Tigrinya
• Amharic
• Dari
• Pashto

Please e-mail Nate Dunstan to schedule a Community Navigator for your school and for more information about our OUSD Community Navigators for newcomers!

Translation Resources

• OUSD Translation Guidelines and Resources
• How to work with an Interpreter Effectively
• Board Policy on Translation and Interpretation Services
• Administrative Regulation on Translation and Interpretation Services
• PowerPoint Presentation of OUSD's Translation and Interpretation Policy
• Legal Alert about OUSD's Translation and Interpretation Services
• Newcomer Community Navigators
• Report Card Translations