Ladon Language Team

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How a group of Berkeley students bridge language barriers for Hurricane Harvey responders

By Ladon Team September 06, 2017

“I can speak English and Vietnamese fluently, so I often volunteer as a medical and legal interpreter. I once witnessed a Chinese lady be denied an interpreter in court. She could barely speak a word to defend herself. Meek and jaded, she made me realize how language barriers make non-English speakers so vulnerable here in America. And I was in California, a predominantly blue state that often prides itself on how much they embrace immigrants,” recalled Anh-Thu, founder of the Ladon Language Project. The experience inspired her to form a team and create the Ladon Language Project, a platform to crowdsource bilinguals. The Project began from a Spring 2016 class at the University of California, Berkeley––a school with a rich history of social and political activism, now more famous for recent political events after the election. The Project’s idea is to form a network of bilinguals who can provide on-demand language support. The team’s aim is to make the services as simple to use a

Language & Cultural Barriers in Education

By Savi C. August 03, 2017

To gain a better understanding of the challenges immigrants face, Ladon Language Team talked to Sue Pon, Director, Oakland Adult & Career Education, Oakland Unified School District. She has dedicated her life to helping people overcome language and cultural barriers to receive an education in the United States and to be successful in life. “I have been in adult education for more years than you both have been around,” Sue said, cheekily. In 2008, Oakland was the seventh largest recipient of adult education funding in California . According to the East Bay Express , Oakland had the highest number of immigrants in California. A total of 25000 adult students enrolled for their English as a Second Language (ESL) Programs and Edward Shands Schools was housing close to 60% of this student population. The purpose of an adult school is to provide multilevel ESL academic and literacy instructions and education to parents. Adult education has been traditionally designed for imm

Tongue-tied and trying

By Savi C. July 13, 2017

How language barriers prevent immigrant students in the U.S. from getting better education California is home to Silicon Valley and to Stanford and the UCs -- the top universities in the nation and the world. Who would think that California’s K-12 education would be performing so poorly? And yet statistics show that students in the state are struggling to learn. Home to thousands of immigrant students, California has yet to improve how they involve families and communities in educating immigrant students. Language barriers and the opportunity gap Language barriers do exactly as the name suggests: it prevents us from connecting, effectively creating gaps between people -- a reality for many immigrant students in the United States. Wealth disparity and language barriers lead to education gaps, which in turn result in poor school performance and in opportunity gaps. And it’s not hard to imagine why. When you find yourself lost in an unfamiliar place, the gut reaction is p

Top 5 Ways to Overcome Language Barriers

By Ladon Team June 29, 2017

At least 23.5 million people in the United States have limited English proficiency. How do they maneuver life in a country where English speakers are the majority and are mostly monolingual? Look for a family member to help; however, this is time-consuming and it’s awkward to call the same person or a group of family members over and over again. Possibly call a language agency too. However, as there are multiple professionals in the agency, it adds up to the cost so the service is extremely expensive. That’s why Ladon comes in handy! Along with Ladon, there are a multitude of ways to overcome language barriers that can make adaptation to a new environment easier. As well, the possibility of using services in English can now be of access without the headache. Being able to use services in English makes adaptation to a new environment easier. So, what are some ways to overcome language barriers? Here are 5 ways to overcome language barriers: Use visual methods of communica

In Search of a Safe Haven: Women Refugees and Their Struggles with Communication

By Savi C. June 22, 2017

Photo courtesy: HIAS “No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.” - Warsan Shire, Teaching My Mother How to Give Birth Being a refugee is perhaps one of the hardest things anyone can go through. Being a woman and a refugee is worse. Like all spheres of life, every step comes with an additional burden for women - be it finding emotional, physical or financial security. And security, my friend, is the most important thing when you have left your motherland in search of a safe haven. In Part 1 of this series, “In Search of a Safe Haven” , we brought to you the struggles of LGBTI refugees while seeking asylum in foreign nations. In this second part, we would like to draw your focus to the plight of women refugees who brave evils of their birth land to set out on a journey that is fraught with uncertainty and dangers at every step. Many of them come from conservative societies where they were never allowed to venture outside the bounds

LGBT refugees: In search of a safe haven

By Savi C. June 15, 2017

Photo Courtesy: JFCS "In all cases, I wish we could have done more for these LGBTI refugees, you know... how can we help this person survive, how can we help them get on their feet, become independent and self-sufficient?" - Wade’s voice sank low Last week, in this blog post , we spoke about the importance of language support and clear communication for the immigrant diaspora in the United States. This week, as we approach World Refugee Day, we decide to look into the struggles faced by different marginalized refugee groups. In our quest to learn the insider's perspectives, we talked to our partner organizations who are serving these groups. We come across startling stories of people who were running away not only from politically unstable countries but also from their own families who refused to accept their identity. As an LGBTI Refugee Services Coordinator at the Jewish Family and Community Services East Bay (JFCS East Bay), Wade is one of the few

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