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Leah Whitney Chavez for web

Ken Dudzik51min

Speaker 1

00:01

Welcome to Riverside chats. I'm Michael Griffin. My guest today is Leah Whitney Chavez. Whitney Chavez is the founder and executive director of world speaks Omaha, a nonprofit whose mission is to address socioeconomic gaps through cultural education and language accessibility services. World speaks offers free and low cost classes to individuals and organizations and translation services to community members whose first language isn't English. World speaks is also launching the Open Doors initiative later this year. The program is meant to provide community members whose first language isn't English with free interpreting services to access affordable housing. In our conversation, Whitney Chavez and I talk about how her multicultural childhood impacted her career trajectory, the nuts and bolts of translation services and ways that community members can keep culture at the forefront of language education. Here is my conversation with Leah. Whitney Chavez, okay, so before we go into speaking about world speaks, let's start with you as a person. Where did you grow up?

Speaker 2

01:10

Hey, so I grew up in Seattle, Washington. So technically, I was born in Bellevue, Washington, so, like, I don't know, 15 some minutes from Seattle. So my dad's side is from the west coast. My mom's side is from Omaha, and when I was seven years old, we moved to Omaha. I went from Bellevue Washington to Bellevue Nebraska. So from Bellevue to Bellevue.

Speaker 1

01:34

Okay, so how were the two Bellevue similar or different? Very

Speaker 2

01:39

different, I would say. So obviously, being in Seattle, it's a lot of diversity and culture. So I grew up with friends of many different backgrounds, hearing different languages all the time. So I really think that early exposure kind of led to my interest in my work. And then I moved to Bevy Nebraska, where, you know, there definitely are POCs, people of color, military. So a lot of different families come through from different cities and states and all that stuff. But definitely, I don't know, a heavily white population, I would say. So, yeah, very homogenous. So like, you know, you're like, one of two black people in your classes, especially, you know, if you're, like, in an advanced class. So I was, I got kind of used to that when I was in high school. And I remember, like, my senior year, like, five or six of my friends who were black, we were all in like, advanced English, like AP, right, advanced placement. And we were like, Oh my God, there's so many of us in this class.

Speaker 1

02:39

And then you all read huckberry Finn, and then,

Unknown Speaker

02:45

like, oh, great, yeah.

Speaker 1

02:48

And so when you kind of were going from one Bellevue to the other, you know, you kind of spoke about how your your interpersonal relationships, kind of changed with the cultures that you saw. But who were some folks that really impacted your life when you were younger, that kind of planted some seeds that really impacted the trajectory of where you are today. Oh,

Speaker 2

03:09

that's a really good, great question. You know, I would say one person is my mom, which is probably what everyone says, right? But I just remember, like, my junior year of high school, I came home because, like, I always got this comment of, like, Oh, you're so white for a black girl. And for some reason that day, it just really wore me down. And I was literally went home in tears, and my mom's like, you know, it's okay to be yourself, like you don't have to worry about what other people are saying about you. But like that experience, like that pain point, it made me want to create world speaks like a place where folks felt safe and that they could be themselves, and then also outsiders could get to learn the real truth behind like, I guess, the stereotype they may assign to folks of different backgrounds. Because just because, like a black person is not what you see on TV doesn't mean that they're not black anymore. And unfortunately, sometimes inside of our own culture, we make it bad for each other as well. You know, we're allowed to like different things or have different interests, and it doesn't make me less of a black woman my interests,

Speaker 1

04:13

right? And at the end of the day, we're not homogenous, no, we're not with conversations about your personal identity and and kind of wanting different identities to be represented and reflected. Was that kind of your introduction into the advocacy realm, or at least advocacy ideals? Or were you interested in language first and then it turned into advocacy? Or what was that origin like, right?

Speaker 2

04:40

So I would say my origin definitely came from, like, the birthplace of where I was at. I was like, for some reason, I just like, I want to learn Spanish. And I was like, when I get older, I'm gonna learn Spanish. I'm gonna be fluent in Spanish. You know, we moved to, we moved to Nebraska. I was in Omaha, first the first year got exposed. So the deaf community had deaf kids in my class learned some ASL, but, you know, I still was like, Okay, this ASL is really cool. I really want to learn Spanish. So when I went to Bellevue, did the whole middle school route, you know, you do the four languages you're sampling, and then I was like, Okay, now it's finally time for me to learn Spanish. So I started that in eighth grade. I had this idea that I was going to be a veterinarian and I was going to learn Spanish to be able to help people who came in and spoke Spanish. I was in the first iteration of the UNMC High School Alliance when I was like, I believe that was my junior year. And I was like, okay, my mind was kind of getting open to like, other careers. I was like, oh, cardiology. Sounds cool. I got to see medical interpreting for the first time. I was like, Oh, that also sounds really cool. And when I got to college, I kind of realized quickly that my passion wasn't medicine. So I was like, Oh shoot. Like, what am I gonna do? Like, I was a person who was definitely, like, an academic. I, like, thrived off the pattern of school. So, like, I was like, oh shoot, I don't have a plan, like, really, what am I gonna do? So I decided to major Bachelor of Arts in foreign language and literature with a concentration in Spanish. I didn't know what I was gonna do with it. I knew I didn't wanna be like a teacher in a school, but I was like, well, maybe I'll pursue that medical interpreting route after all these years of studying Spanish. But after I studied, I did have an idea of foreign language school. It was something that I wrote down in a journal in like 2008 but I didn't see myself as like an entrepreneur, like something that I would actually do. But when I came back from studying abroad in 2014 in Argentina, he he's my cousin, but he was the founder of the Start Center Omaha, and he was like, he knew about my idea. And he was like, Okay, so we're starting this program where we're going to help individuals in the community, like, for free, and if you have a business, you can, like, go and improve it, or if you have an idea, you can grow it. And he's like, You should take world speaks there. And I was like, man, like, What are you talking about? Like, I've never wanted to own my own business. Like, why did I do that? And he was like, it's free. Like, you have nothing to lose, literally. And I was like, Okay, I don't so I enrolled in classes. And so then we started exploring, like, what, what could that look like? What is a language school look like in Omaha? Because it wasn't something that we had in our community. And it's like, well, how do you start a language school? Like, do you have to get accredited? Like, how the heck am I going to do all that? Like, I'm 2021 like, how am I going to do that? And he's just, like, okay, so you should just start with one Spanish class. Like, give a Spanish class for free, because, like, at this time, I am fluent in Spanish, and I've been studying it as well. And so after like, the first two sessions, we went back to my old high school and I had our first classes, and this is in 2015 so we started with a group of five. Two of those students were my parents. So shout out to the rents for enrolling in the Spanish classes. So that's how we kind of got started with our first program. Yeah, that's kind of how we got started.

Speaker 1

07:59

Cool, when you were having formal education as a Spanish major, was something as world speaks kind of spoken about in classes. I I often think about the career pipelines were taught are connected with majors, or was this completely like an internalized idea?

Speaker 2

08:20

You know, I guess, internalized. But also, the funny thing is, I remember because I was a Goodrich scholar, and in one of our classes, we had to, like, explore, like other organizations or things in our community. And I came across like inclusive communities during that time, and did like a program with them, or like a presentation on them, and we like, partner with them now, which is so funny that, like, oh, in college, I was presenting about inclusive communities, because they were talking about, kind of like their origin story. I believe it was a Jewish man who was, like, trying to be more inclusive of the community. And so when I was like, that's kind of like I was what I was looking at, though they don't do what world speaks does they do work in the realm of inclusivity? And so that kind of was like, oh, a starting point, I guess, to kind of, I don't know, kind of a starting point there.

Speaker 1

09:11

If you're just joining us, I'm speaking with Leah Whitney Chavez, founder and executive director of world speaks Omaha. Do you speak a language other than English? How does it affect the way you interact with your community? Let us know on social media. Follow Riverside chats on Facebook or Instagram, or call in with a brief voicemail to 402-881-0089, for a chance to be featured on an upcoming show. We've kind of spoken about the background with world speaks, but what is the intention of the organization? What is the mission? Sure,

Speaker 2

09:45

so I would say, kind of like in a nutshell, that world speaks is a language access organization and a cultural awareness organization. So language access is just making sure that individuals have equal access to resources. Community events belonging critical and vital resources, because a lot of times those who do not speak English as a first language are left out of the fold. We saw that a lot with the pandemic. You know, all this information is going out in English. Sometimes they did have American Sign Language, sometimes Spanish, which I shout out the state of Nebraska for doing that, having Spanish and ASL interpretation, that was really great. But there are a lot of other languages in our community, so and also shouting out restoring dignity, and their team for putting out the messages that were coming out from Douglas County in multiple languages, I think they had it in maybe like 10 plus languages to go out into the community, because when there's emergency situations or crisis, we forget that, you know, those folks are a part of our community. And if we need to stay safe, every single member of our community needs to stay safe,

Speaker 1

10:51

absolutely. And I think that there's always so much pressure to kind of have the quick fix or the magic bullet, but, but sometimes the simple, incremental steps can really make a big difference, you know, such as making making sure that we can reach different types of people, and understanding that language is inherent to that. And so what exactly do you do at Worlds? What's like your day to day? Like Sure.

Speaker 2

11:18

So we do a few different things. So as I mentioned before, with the language courses. So those courses still exist today, which languages specifically so right now we have courses in Spanish, American Sign Language and English as a second language in our history. We've had Mandarin classes. We've done tutoring in German and other languages. But kind of the point of these classes is that people have, like an alternative place to go to learn a language and culture that's not like a university, not academic set setting at no cost. So when I started the courses, fluent in Spanish, right? But I'm not Latina, so I always made sure to have representatives of that community come in, and a few things happen with that. Obviously, that group of individuals is able to, you know, self advocate, talk about their culture, feel appreciated by their community. And then for students, they're able to get that practice with the native speaker. You know, in my career track in college, people were really scared to speak. So like having that opportunity where it's like, okay, you're speaking from day one, and we're going to have people of different countries coming in, because everyone doesn't speak Spanish the same way. When I studied abroad in Argentina, it was a wake up call, because that Spanish does not sound like the Spanish that I learned at school. So it takes time to adapt, but letting people have that first time experience, and then kind of wrapping it back into what I talked about, where, you know, folks have stereotypes about other languages and cultures, and they get to meet the real person. So it's like, oh, okay, maybe I need to cast some of my ideals aside and make sure, like, when I hear people saying things, you know, maybe in a negative light about this background or culture, I need to kind of step up here. And people can be advocates for folks in our community who are the most vulnerable. So those happen three times a year. They're at no cost. The classes are three times a year, yes, so three times a year, we have them in the spring, summer and fall, and there's usually, well, this year we've got four classes going like each session, so four to three to four classes going each session, and these, like I said, they're at no cost. Folks just pay 15 bucks for registration. That's it.

Speaker 1

13:31

What's the process for how you all create your curriculum?

Speaker 2

13:35

Yeah, so that that first, we started with the book, and now, you know, we have, like, our programs manager who has a lot of experience in education and tutoring Spanish, and she has really helped develop the curriculum a lot when it comes to the other languages that we don't speak, we ask for experts. So like, just like the deaf community, we have some deaf folks who help create our curriculum, and we create, like, a workbook and a vocabulary sheet for students to be able to have virtually if they want to print that off, that's their choice. Or they can have their their workbooks and things virtually that they can take with them to class. And, you know, kind of, you know, getting into that work over the years, folks started asking us if we did like interpreting our translation services, and I didn't. I was young when I started world speak, so I didn't realize that the gap was so huge. So we then started offering interpreting and translation services, and today we do that in about 24 languages. So just like I mentioned before, making sure that individuals in the community are able to gain access to the spaces and things that they need. Just bringing awareness. Like, let's think about this. Like, when we're planning our events and doing different things, let it not be, you know, the last resort. Or sometimes folks are like, well, we have the interpreters. But no one's here, and it's like, Well, did you go to the community and, like, tell them about the event? Like, did you bring an interpreter, or did you translate the flyers? Did you go to another community organization that they trust so they know that this is happening in the community? Just, you know, putting up one flyer and having the event is not enough to draw our community, especially since they've been left out of the fold for so long.

Speaker 1

15:23

One thing that you keep reiterating, that I think should be pointing out, is the importance of language and culture. And so what are some steps that you think we can take with really acknowledging and centering the culture behind languages we're trying to learn. I feel like it can be pretty easy to view something simply as a language I need to learn, you know, not necessarily taking the cultural context or joy into account. So how does that really impact the education of what you facilitate.

Speaker 2

16:01

I feel like, if you don't understand the culture of the language, you really can't learn fully. I remember kind of like a random moment when I was in Argentina, and I had Netflix on, and they put captions on in Spanish, and even though they were speaking in English because of where I was in the world, and I was reading the Spanish, and I was like, English is very figurative and Spanish is very like literal in what you're saying. So if I'm trying to speak like I speak in English and Spanish, that's not always gonna work. That's not gonna land. So it's like you almost had to become a different person. You almost have another personality when you speak another language, like when I speak in Spanish, I'm not, it's I'm not the same person that I speak in English. That's just how it

Speaker 1

16:48

goes, Huh? So it's like, your role if you need to shift, in addition to absolutely and

Speaker 2

16:52

it's like for you to get into it. And people may feel silly, but it's like, no, like you're going, you're becoming a guest in someone else's culture. So take it like you're going to a dinner party and you're getting it's like a dress up one, right? And you're really getting into the culture. So that is how you're gonna know how to generate the language. Oh, this is disrespectful in Spanish. So someone wouldn't say that. This is how I address my elders in Spanish. So I Oh, okay. So I need to remember these honorifics, oh, in Spanish, they say all the they say all the vowel sounds. Okay, I need to remember that it's not like English. So it's not you trying to push English ideals on a culture that's already established. It's you stepping into that new culture, and then you're just gonna understand it so much more. And I think it grows your empathy with the folks behind the language as well, in

Speaker 1

17:39

your process with kind of understanding the culture and the dinner party esthetic, if you will, was that something that was easy to arrive at? I think that with most forms of expression, there's a learning curve until you can start expressing yourself in the new thing. And so did you kind of arrive at that conclusion, like, among your journey, or was it after having formal education that you realized, oh, dinner party, like, what was it like for you? You

Speaker 2

18:08

know, some of this language I feel like I'm getting now these last two years, just because, you know, it's, it's been a while, and just being still around the community. But I have to say, like, when I was learning Spanish, I was really hungry, like, I really wanted to learn the language, and it wasn't enough for me to just read it and write it. I wanted to speak the language. And so I started making friends with folks in these communities. So it's like, you know, I gravitated towards the folks who spoke this language, who could correct me, who could, like, help me understand and ask, you know, ask questions about their culture when it was, like, I guess, relevant, or when it was appropriate, when I could. So I won't say I had, I've had the vocabulary all along, but I feel like when you that aha moment that I had in Argentina, because, like, I could speak Spanish, but like, the confidence level also was like, had to get there too. So it's like, I got to literally be a guest in someone else's community, and it was interesting, like it was interesting to be in Argentina, especially as a black woman. It's always interesting traveling as a black woman. So how so? I mean, they don't expect me to speak Spanish, even, even though historically, remember we were talking about facts, right, right? Factually, it doesn't make sense, right? Because, because of the slave trade, there are more Africans that went down to South America than the United States of America. So literally, there's a lot of people who Spanish is their only language, or or Portuguese, like, if they're in Brazil, right? So people are like, Oh, are you from Brazil? Are you from? Are you from here? Are you from Argentina? And I'm like, Oh, I'm from neither of those. Just like, okay, and there's just not, like, a really big population of black folks in Argentina, and so people would look at me like I was a ghost, like they're like, whoa, what are you doing here? So it was just, like, an interesting opportunity, I guess, to be in another country where there's just not a lot of black. Folks around. So

Speaker 1

20:01

okay, we talked about your background. We talked about the mission of your organization. Let's talk about the how you know, because I think it's important for folks to have proper context on the incremental steps behind the mission. So we kind of alluded to it. But what were, what were the incremental steps with how you created world speaks Yeah, like from beginning to now, sure.

Speaker 2

20:24

So it was definitely like paso por paso, so step by step, for sure. So it started out like I said, with the language classes at my old high school. That was our first program, our community courses. We still have those today. So I want to say we did our community courses, probably from at least 2015 until 2018 2019 and then we were kind of in a slump for a little bit. It was, you know, sometimes when you're like, growing your business, there's like a slow period, but during the slow period, there's like something you need to learn, there's something you need to do, and you find that out afterwards, right? So that's when I met my now husband, and he had the idea. He was like, saying, like, you guys should probably do, like, translation work. And it was, I was like, Oh, I don't know, should we do that? Like, someone's got to be doing that already. And he's like, I really think you should do that work. I was like, Okay, we'll see, you know, so then we went to the Cinco de Mayo celebration, and I was speaking to the lady in Spanish, and she's like, You should, you should be an interpreter, because, I guess, because, you know, I could speak Spanish, and I'm just like, ah, like, I don't know, you know, that kind of thing. And I will say I am, though I have some interpreting experience. I am not an interpreter. All bilingual people are not interpreters. I want to clarify that I did have experiences where, you know, I did help in jobs. I, when I, you know, from school, was more like, you know, my writing was really like, up to par in Spanish. And I did translate documents and things. But folks who do that on the everyday, it's, it's very hard the skills, like, it takes a skill. It's something you have to build, and it's something you have to keep practicing to keep up. Could you

Speaker 1

22:06

explain how that might be harder than it seems for English speakers? Sure.

Speaker 2

22:10

So like, remember what I explained before, that you can't just think in English and Spanish. So when you're in a document or translating a document, it's how would I convey this message into Spanish that the community is going to understand? You also have to take in your audience. Who are the Spanish speakers in your community? If I'm speaking Spanish, that's like from Spain, and folks are from Mexico and Guatemala in my community, they may not understand what I'm talking about. And it's the same thing for interpretation, right? When you're doing simultaneous interpretation, someone's talking and at the same time you are interpreting. It's like you have to hear and process at the same time, so it's very hard. And then consecutive interpretation, someone talks, pause, back and forth, kind of like that. You have to maintain information, you have to take notes. And there's also interpreter ethics and different things like that. So there's a lot that goes into it. It's not just, oh, this person's bilingual. So they have these skills, and a lot of times, you know, folks develop them because of the positions they're put in. But you know, we can't have that expectation of individuals

Unknown Speaker

23:15

or the assumption even, yes, exactly.

Speaker 2

23:18

So with the translation that the deal is being floated around, then we all know the pandemic happened in 2020, so everybody was at home, um, for the first time, we got to do some classes with language, with some community organizations, where we did some Spanish. We did Spanish lessons where we included industry terms so that they could reach out to community members. And during that time, things were virtual, and then also social issues were highlighted. So we started a program called justice speaks during that time as well, and we talked to just different groups. Some folks were immigrants, some folks you know, were from Omaha, and they talked about their life experiences and like, being a part of their culture, they just shared like insights. So that was really powerful during 2020 but then also folks started realizing that language access is a part of dei and so we started getting more requests for interpreting and translation. And because everything was virtual, we could, like connect with folks all over the city, and then occasionally folks who were out of town. Our preference is to use local talent, but sometimes, there may be some times where you just have to use folks from out of town, especially do translation or virtual interpreting. So during 2020, is really when we got a lot of momentum. We were able to connect with more funders. It was a though it was like a really hard time, obviously, for like our world, globally, world speaks, kind of got a second wind during that time. So through 2020, 2021, we were able to, and I was still working part time at this time as well. So I was in the I was halfway, and there were. Organization halfway working at another nonprofit in the community. 2022 we got our first multi year grant, and I was able to go into the business full time, and then by the end of the year, we're able to bring our programs manager on as a part time employee. So during that time, a lot was happening. So we were able to, like, you know, start offering our classes a little bit more consistently, and also during that downtime, I asked our community, like, what do y'all want to see in classes, and how long would you want some classes to last? You know, we always had them during the evening so adults could attend, but it was like I came from an academic standpoint, like, Oh, this is what they want to learn. This is what they want to do. But it's like I needed to ask the community, like, what's something you would say in like, six months was way too long for a class now it's 10 weeks. So when you listen to your community, you go far. So that was kind of how that happened. And then we kept growing. And then in 2023 we got one of our biggest contracts for interpreting and translation, or excuse me, it was for interpretation. It was for 20 days, and at that time, we met our now language accessibility manager, and he came onto the team, and we started a new program called open doors, and it's a pilot program we have going on right now, and it's where we provide interpreting and translation services at no cost in Spanish, Burmese and Arabic, for in the field of affordable housing, because a lot of times folks receive notices and languages that they don't understand, and there needs to be communication with, you know, organizations that are helping folks in the community, but then also with property owners. So trying to help property owners and folks become more open to rent to folks who speak English, maybe as a second language, or not much at all, when they know that they have support. So this is a program that we hope to grow and continue, but yeah, so that's kind of how we kind of got caught up to where we are today. We also, this past year had our first language access week in the community. So we were just really showcasing like, what is language access? Because people are like, What the heck does that mean? And we also highlighted some folks who are doing a great work with including language access in their programming. We went to city council and declared it language access week, like the first one, the inaugural one. And we also had, my favorite part of the week is on Thursday of that week, we partnered with a local immigrant owned business, Kathmandu station, there, from Nepal, and we did a Momo making class where he the owner came and he taught in Nepali, and we had an interpreter, and the folks in the class wore devices where they could hear the English interpretation from the interpreter, who's wearing a transmitter. So for a lot of people, this is the first time that they got to step in the shoes of someone who needs language access, right? And they got to do it while they were learning a new skill, and they loved it. It was great.

Speaker 1

28:05

Okay, so if I were to kind of summarize, it'd be classes and translating documents. Okay, you spoke about how with classes, we typically have three a year, and it's three languages.

Speaker 2

28:20

So each year, we probably have about 12 classes at this

Unknown Speaker

28:25

time. Okay, I was wrong.

Speaker 2

28:29

And I would say to some, some of the work that we do, you know, it's our community courses, it's our interpreting and translation services, and it's, you know, our community outreach and education and advocacy, as I was speaking up earlier, about, you know, just because someone's bilingual doesn't mean they're interpreter, translator. We like to tell and talk to partners and folks. The fact that, you know, if you do have a bilingual individual who is capable of these skills, you need to ask them first if they want to do it. Number two, you need to compensate them, right? So I likened to it, if you knew how to knit sweaters, and your boss has you to knit sweaters every week for every department, and you're still supposed to get your work done. Like, how long would you do that? And you would think, is ridiculous, right? But we expect this of bilingual individuals when it's not in their job description to be bilingual even. So it's like you're asking them to do additional work. So we just try to make sure we're doing that advocacy piece, and yeah, just really promoting that in the community.

Speaker 1

29:26

So what does the translating component look like? Are you like a third party? Is it like an organization's Hey, we only do English stuff, and we want to make sure to have other languages. They reach out to you all, and then you all, like, look at their documents and then translate them, just thinking about, kind of making sure that we take into account, you know, English to Spanish or other languages. If we translate them directly, it won't have the same context. And so is that an additional hurdle with like, documentation or process with an organization? And that's getting translated services,

Speaker 2

30:01

you know. So as far as, like, the process goes, Yeah, it's like you said, you know, they're trying to have an event, or, for instance, they're having classes, or they're having things where folks who they're the dominant language that they speak is not English, so they're trying to make sure that they include them, make sure they have all the information that they need. You know, yes, we're a third party, and we have a contractor. We have groups of contractors who help do this work, as far as like, them not understanding that, yeah, it's not a literal translation. We, you know, embody the message and, like, make sure the information is accurate. You know, if it's a time date, it's going to be the same thing. But yeah, we it gets made sure that it's in in the style that's cultural and relevant and correct. So I don't know they, I guess they test us as the folks who are doing this work. We, you know, have folks who translate, and then we have folks proofread it as well, making sure that it comes out, right? So,

Speaker 1

31:00

yeah, right. And I think what's interesting is, you know, of course, a lot of organizations have a mission, but I would say a lot of the times the mission is static, you know, like we're always achieving the same goal. But with languages, you know, demographics are changing. So by definition, languages are changing. So how do you all kind of evaluate the need on an annual basis? Like, what are ways that you all measure languages changing in Omaha? Yeah,

Speaker 2

31:33

so that's a really good question. So we try to be connected to groups in the community, definitely who are, like, taking in, like, refugees and immigrants. So when we started the Open Doors program, we went to those organizations and say, like, Who do you see? Like, What languages do we need to feature in this? Because they're the experts in who's coming into the community. So we always like to lean on folks who are really, you know, especially doing, like, very, very direct services to just kind of tap in and see what's going on. So I'd say that's how we stay like, relevant. And then obviously, like, folks reach out and they request us, and we're tracking the data on, like, okay, what are the languages that people need the most? And then sometimes, what are the languages that folks are asking for that we don't have? Like, is there a language that people keep asking for? You know, we've really seen a growth in like the Mayan languages. So folks who are from Guatemala, a lot of times, folks in this is not every person, but sometimes, when folks come from Guatemala, their first language is not Spanish, it's a Mayan language. So because let's remember, before you know, the Spaniards went to Latin America, they had their own indigenous languages. So in Guatemala and other countries, sometimes Spanish is their second language and English is the third language. So have to sometimes check on that and say, like, okay, like, if you're doing interpreting and someone's not understanding, perhaps you know Spanish is not the right language that you need to be using. So just having, kind of, like those having that cultural awareness to know that, because the population in Nebraska is it's really large. So

Speaker 1

33:07

yeah, and, and with that line of thinking, I have a background in Population Sciences, so know a lot about census and demographics and those forms of measurement, but how are languages measured? You know, like a is it strictly word of mouth? Is there, like, a state or nation measurement system?

Speaker 2

33:28

So when we started getting into interpreting and translation, there actually is a 2021, report card that I believe, I'm trying to remember what entity did it, but it's available to the public, and it actually said, like, what languages are spoken at home the most. So that is where we got, like, our base and starts, and that's nationally. It's in the state of Nebraska, like it was done for our state, yeah. So that is what we use to, like, oh, okay, these are the top five languages in Nebraska. Okay, cool. This is how we get started

Unknown Speaker

33:59

Nebraska. Yeah. I

Unknown Speaker

34:00

was like. I was like, Oh, we got this. This is awesome. We got this.

Speaker 1

34:05

I think that it makes sense for Spanish to kind of be the go to, given the demographics of our nation and proximity to folks that speak Spanish. But just in general, I think that, I think that in the United States, it's just unique to how we can go without not only hearing another language but another accent, you know. And so what are some steps we can take to make the process of learning a language less academic, because that seems to be the largest outlet on how we're taught to learn any language

Speaker 2

34:42

if you wanted, I guess a less academic experience. Throw yourself into a community, because they're they're here, like the pockets of communities are here. And when you know a little bit of somebody else's language, like, they really light up and they're like, Wow, you're trying to step into my bubble, or step into my world. And people. Really, really appreciate that. And like we were talking about earlier, you know, when you're learning a new language, like you're going to make mistakes, and that's okay, there's a lot of pressure to be perfect, or, like to go so fast. I remember, like, when I got to Argentina, I actually tested lower than my ability, because I would try to speak Spanish so fast I was making mistakes. And it was like, my teacher's like, you need to slow down. And when I slowed down, I was like, Okay, now I'm able to really process, like, what I'm doing and how to move forward in this language. So I think if you give yourself the opportunity to just like, find group pockets and groups of people who speak that language and practice with them. I think you'll have a lot of fun. And when I also was learning Spanish, I there's this app called Hello talk, and you could go on there, and you could say what language you spoke, and you could the other person's in what you're trying to learn, and the other person would do the same, and like, you'd kind of match in, like a language exchange. And that was a way to learn from another person or a peer. And there was a few people that I practiced with, like, outside the app, like we were on WhatsApp and we were practicing with the language. So there's ways, especially now, with the internet and technology, you can kind of find communities of people who are practicing, if you don't have maybe your specific language locally, but I think locally, trying to, like, go where, where the folks are, and dip your toe in, and just try to get connected to folks and say, like, Oh, I'm interested in your culture. Like, if they're open, if they want to.

Speaker 1

36:32

And so to kind of go back to world speak. You know, a lot that I'm hearing is offering various programs from education to translating to housing. And so what type of partnerships do you all have? Because it really sounds like the goals that you all are after really encapsulate collaboration. And so what does that look like? Who are you working with? Yeah,

Speaker 2

36:56

so one of our first partners when we started, you know, doing translation interpretation. Was the ACLU of Nebraska, which was, like, really incredible. I was like, oh, man, this is, like, an incredible organization, and we, I think, one of our first projects with them, we helped interpret, like, immigrant rights when it came to, like protesting, especially it was so culturally relevant. Then during 2020, we still work today with ACLU, but inclusive communities the city of Omaha, Nebraska, early childhood, collaborative with our Open Doors program, we've been partnering with Project houseworks and restoring dignity and different entities. So yeah, it the thing is, language access is not just one genre. It's not just one type of theme. So there's, like, so many connections and places that we can, like, connect with folks. So it's it's really been incredible, the things that we've been able to witness or be a part of or make possible, I guess, in like, the realm of language access.

Speaker 1

37:59

If you're just joining us, I'm talking with Leah Whitney Chavez of world speaks Omaha about translation services and equitable language access in Omaha. Got any tips for learning another language? Let us know on social media. Follow Riverside chats on Facebook or Instagram or call in with a brief voice mail to 402-881-0089, 28810089, for a chance to be featured on an upcoming show. When I think of language access, I think, of of course, duoly No, right, or just ways that we can kind of access language practice. But maybe, I guess this is a long setup to say. What are your thoughts and apps like Duolingo? You know, where it's like, we have reps, but it's kind of in your phone, as opposed to meeting the culture. What are some steps that we could take to go from the duolingos to the tried and real world?

Speaker 2

38:56

You know, I took a Japanese class in college, and my my professor was from Japan, and the class was hard, like you had to, you know, really be on your books, really start studying. So obviously, I graduated college, and I, you know, started forgetting my Japanese. And I was like, Man, I'm forgetting my kid a kind of my katakana, which is like the to the writing systems. And I was like, Let me hop on Duolingo and let me see. And I was able to, like, skip up a lot of levels because of my class, but I was just like, Man, I feel like the class experience for me, like, prepared me to be here because I had an outside, like, practice and experience to give me more insight on, like, what the exercises were. So I don't know. I think it is good for learning vocabulary and different things, but for me, I got more out of being like in a class with people. But, you know, maybe for some people, apps are like better for them, but I feel like it's a way, it can build your vocabulary and help you, like, kind of get a start. But like, practicing with like, with. People and like a community, I feel like is a way to solidify what you're learning. Yeah,

Speaker 1

40:04

and also, you know, I think knowing words in a language versus overcoming anxiety of messing up are kind of two different skill sets. And so that makes, that makes a lot of sense, kind of more as an introduction to help you for the end result. And so with conversations about language, I feel like, especially here in Omaha, it's very much services offered to English speakers to learn other languages. But what's like the inverse? What? What options or services do we really find for folks that don't speak English to learn English? Well, there

Speaker 2

40:45

are, like, a lot of, I would say English as a second language courses in our community. I know, I think a lot of like the Refugee and Immigrant serving organization, offer those opportunities. I believe learning for all offers them world space offers them. There's a lot of opportunities in the community. So I think people can take their pick, whatever works for them. I know a lot of times when we've offered English as a second language, virtually, we've actually connected with a lot of people, like in Skyler Nebraska and in the rural areas, just to for them to have access to programming that works with their work schedules. So that's been something that's been really cool, and kind of like an expense for like, oh, there, we were able to reach the other communities in Nebraska, because there are a lot of immigrant and refugee populations who don't live inside of Omaha as well. So it's like something to remember to make sure that we have the opportunity, I guess, with the virtual sense, being able to reach those populations as well and be helpful,

Speaker 1

41:46

kind of, to continue this line of thinking. Earlier in this conversation, you mentioned industry terms, and so could you elaborate a little bit more on what that means in the context of multi language? Sure.

Speaker 2

42:00

So when I say industry terms, so for the example, then we worked with together in the big garden, and so we put in vocabulary terms that they would use every day in their workplaces. So you know, if your food pantry, then you're going to learn Food Pantry terms in Spanish. If you're doing planting, we're going to teach the planting term. So whatever the work that you're doing in the community that you're reaching, you have the vocabulary in their language to explain the programming and services that you have. And

Speaker 1

42:33

that kind of makes me think of community engagement in a lot of ways. And so could you elaborate a little more on steps y'all take with community engagement and what that looks like with world speaks, yeah,

Speaker 2

42:44

so when it comes so, like we talked about before, sometimes, like when we're not in the expert, or we're not, you know, directly connected to community, we will reach out to another organization who has that connection. World speaks has been used in the past for community engagement opportunities, like when there's been, you know, studies or different things where they need to talk to different groups, and we have provided interpretation services so that community engagement was able to be done. So I feel like those are kind of the ways that we do community engagement, and try to make sure that, you know, we're reaching the relevant communities when possible, and

Speaker 1

43:22

what is the future of world speaks. Do you plan to add more programming type stuff or, yeah. I

Speaker 2

43:28

mean, there's so many directions that it could go right. So it's always like, what, what are we gonna do next? Um, always, you know, we're a small, one, mighty team, team of four, so definitely expanding our team is next on the bracket, so we can make sure that we are helping folks in this community. We also hope to soon have like, some interpreting, like, courses and helping people who want to get into interpretation, so someone is bilingual, and they're like, Yeah, that's what I want to do. It's like, okay, let's, you know, create this so that people the talent. You know, we have the talent in our community, but how can we train them to get into this field, to make sure that there's future interpreters? We actually have the experience where we went to, like, a fair for some young kids, and we're like, Hey, do you ever have to interpret for your parents sometimes? And they're like, Yeah, I do. And they're like, we're like, do you know you can get paid for that? And they're like, What? No way. So it's like, we feel that that's part of our mission too, to like, let the next generation know that, yeah, you can, like, be an ambassador of your culture, and also, you know, get paid for that. So yeah, I would say that that's kind of like the future, like growing your programming there, and, you know, just trying to keep our ear down to the ground, or, like, to the community to know, like, what the needs are and the ways that we need to expand and wrap around the community and language access and the next thing will always be like, you know, advocacy. How can we take that to the next level in our community? How can we make sure that these systems have language access built into them, so that more people can be a part of the civic process? Is that, you know, they're due I think

Speaker 1

45:02

a lot of conversation is kind of centered around like citizenship, which and housing, which makes sense. But I think, I think the next natural step is civic engagement. You know, how can folks participate not just exist for elected officials, and especially in the context of today's politics, what are some ways that you think that candidates can really meet the needs of folks that might not speak English, with reaching out to them?

Speaker 2

45:29

An easy way is literally, to have what you're doing and what you're talking about in other languages and multiple languages, right? Because then you quote, unquote, don't have to do anything, right? You can send and talk about what you're doing. And, you know, maybe you like, engage a population that you never had before and learn something a little bit new. And, you know, maybe have go to those communities and have an interpreter and actually engage with the folks in your community, see what they want, right? Like, why not try and see and, like, learn something to it in there, you know you're going to go into that community and they're going to teach you something, right? It's not just about you imparting what you have for them, but they're going to teach you something that you may not have known about, and maybe that just will expand your world view and how think may you. Maybe you'll think differently about you know what you're doing in your seat and legislature. You just never know what may happen. So

Speaker 1

46:21

we've talked about the org, we've talked about politics, let's talk about you again. And so how has your journey with learning new languages changed while having more leadership and administrative roles? Sure,

Unknown Speaker

46:36

sure. What's that like

Unknown Speaker

46:37

for for Leia,

Speaker 2

46:38

so my Spanish, I'm still fluent in Spanish, which I'm really happy about. My in laws only speak Spanish, so I'm very glad and fortunate that I learned the language before I even met them, because I really, oh, did your husband teach you Spanish? I'm like, Absolutely not. I'm ready. Yeah, I was ready for this. Nope. So that's been great. I also took American Sign Language in in college, and I really, really love that language as well. And just recently, I So myself and our language accessibility manager, we're both in an ASL at class at world speaks right now. So I'm kind of like trying to dip back in, like, okay, is, you know, I was like, this is probably we should do this anyway. We should be taking a class anyway, to know, like, the experience for folks, you know. So I'm in, I'm in the the reins again, you know, just

Speaker 1

47:30

look at your classmates and be like, I run this, you know? I was like. I

Speaker 2

47:37

was like, Oh, do they even know I am? And then I was like, Oh, wait, yeah, they do. But like, everyone's like, it's like, a super chill class, super chill vibe. We're really, really excited that we're back working with the deaf community, teaching our ASL classes, which is so, so, so important for folks to understand the culture of the deaf community and the language, like working with deaf instructors. So that has been, like, really, really cool. And, yeah, so it is, it is kind of different, like, not, you know, being in the admin seat. And, like, you know, like, I don't do like interpretation anymore, or I don't do like much translation anymore. I still speak the language, but, you know, so it's just, like, interesting to, like, we went through like an interpreter training to kind of, like, get some insight on how another organization does it, and, like, how we're gonna do and I was like, Oh man, it's so crazy to, like, be back in this, like, kind of seat in the saddle, and it's like, I haven't done like, consecutive interpretation for like, three or four years, like, you know, that type of thing. So, yeah, I don't know. They had to tell me if it was, it was good or not, the

Unknown Speaker

48:44

executive director, whether she did good job or not well

Speaker 2

48:46

in that in that context, we were taking other members of the community. So it was, it was not like. It was not like that at all. So any feedback folks had, I was, I was a student, I was a participant, so I was at the mercy of, like, the feedback that folks had. So it was, it was, it was a good experience. It was

Speaker 1

49:02

great, cool. And so are there any upcoming events that world speaks has for the rest of the year?

Speaker 2

49:07

Yeah, so we will start our fall classes again. I believe that enrollment opens for those August 30. If you subscribe to our newsletter, you will get to register first. If not, you can register via our social media pages. Yeah, that's kind of like what's coming up for the end of the year. And I believe we're also going to be in the n a t, I excuse me, conference, and we're going to do a presentation with our deaf members of our what is N A T I stand for? I believe it's a national association of interpreters and translators and interpreters. Yeah, so that's if I Richard that sorry guys. You guys rock if, sorry if I mess it up. But at the end of September, we're gonna partner with some deaf members of our community and just talk about, you know, working with deaf interpreters, working with hearing interpreters, the differences of that. At talking about our classes a little bit and, yeah, just some stuff with that. So we're excited to partner with some folks to do that.

Speaker 1

50:07

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for gracing us today. Thanks

Unknown Speaker

50:11

for having us.

Speaker 1

50:17

My guest today was Leo Whitney Chavez, the founder and executive director of world speaks Omaha Riverside chats was created by Tom novog. It is a production of 91 five kios Omaha Public Radio. Our executive producer is me Michael Griffin. I composed the original music and performed it with odzik Guzman, Pat Riley and David McInnis, who also recorded it. The show is produced and edited by Courtney Bierman. Our artwork is done by Ben matukovic. Remember, you can find the backlog of Riverside chats episodes wherever you get podcasts. Thank you for listening. I'm Michael Griffin. You.

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