In a new internship with the , 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis students are helping the city better meet the needs of its Spanish speaking residents. A cohort of five students spent months working with city staff, learning best practices when it comes to translating content such as city documents, press releases, public service announcements and social media posts.
During a presentation at the City of Davis Community Chambers, students reflected on the profound impact working with the City had on them. It was clear the internship had changed how the students experienced the Spanish language, city government, civic engagement and community work. They learned technical skills but also built confidence and learned what they might be able to expect from a job post-graduation.
In a professional setting, I've never had the most confidence and now I do, and I feel like if I am working with the city or working in a government job or even if I'm just translating for somebody in public, I can do that confidently, said Julianna Aguilar-Quintero, a student double-majoring in English and Spanish. I feel more prepared for when I hit the job market.
Collectively, the students worked 60 hours over the course of a quarter and translated more than 60 documents and graphics from Spanish to English, providing integral support for the City of Davis.
But for Aguilar-Quintero and others, the internship went beyond what they might put on any future resume.
Their work will help make City information more accessible to Spanish-speaking residents and strengthen communication with our broader community, said Jenny Tan, director of public affairs and internship supervisor with the City of Davis. We are grateful to the at 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis, especially Department Chair of Spanish and Portuguese and Associate Professor of Spanish , for their partnership and for providing students with this valuable hands-on public service experience.
Partnering with the City of Davis
Kickstarted by Newcomb and Carando, the internship is part of a broader effort by the to provide students with pre-professional pathways to use Spanish in the workforce.
So many of my students have talked about their interest in serving the community or serving the public in different ways, so I really wanted to see if the City would be receptive to that and they were, Newcomb said.
Though not a requirement for the internship, several students also took SPA 178A Spanish for the Professions, taught by Carando, which introduces students to the equity challenges facing multilingual populations through readings and field research, so they can successfully serve U.S. Spanish speakers in the workplace.
Newcombs own undergraduate experience working as an interpreter in a hospital not only helped him with his language skills but got him off campus, into the community and made him feel like he was making a positive impact.
Taking a burden off children of immigrants
Aguilar-Quintero's personal experience as a child of immigrants was a big part of why she applied to the internship in the first place. She recalled helping her family with things like paying bills and navigating the DMV. It was a stressful position to be in, being relied on at so young an age and having anxiety that her translations might not be entirely correct.
Julianna Aguilar-Quintero, a student double-majoring in English and Spanish, talks about her experience interning with the City of Davis. (Maria Sestito/51勛圖窪蹋 Davis)
It was kind of hard for me because I felt like part of me was failing them, a part of me was not doing my job as their daughter, she said.
I wanted to gain the power where I can help my community, she added. This internship really gave me the opportunity to do that for other immigrants or other Spanish speaking people in the community who may not have a child that can do that for them, or now that little kid doesn't have to struggle and be like I don't know what to say because now the document is in Spanish.
Similarly, Estefan穩a Guti矇rrez Gonz獺lez, a sociology major and accounting minor, described the anxiety and fear that can go along with being in a new country and not knowing the language. She moved to the U.S. from Mexico with her family in 2018 not knowing anything about the language or culture.
I remember how overwhelming it felt even to do simple things like going to a doctor's appointment, filling out forms, helping my parents with paperwork, Guti矇rrez Gonz獺lez said. Just walking into a building was stressful because I knew I wouldn't understand what people were saying and that's something that many immigrants experience.
Hearing the words I can translate that for you were always a relief.
Those words changed everything, Guti矇rrez Gonz獺lez said.
The task of translation
Even for these advanced Spanish speakers, the work of translation did not come easy. New challenges arose often, especially when trying to fit the information into confined spaces, such as an Instagram post, or making sure to use words that struck the right tone or could be understood in different dialects.
When I began to translate for the city, I began to become aware of how language changes, Guti矇rrez Gonz獺lez said. For Spanish speakers, every country has its own version and each version represents a community ... choosing one word meant choosing one community and excluding another."
Celeste Valdivia, who is majoring in economics and international relations, discusses the internship program in the Council Chambers in Davis, Calif. (Maria Sestito/51勛圖窪蹋 Davis)
Translation is not neutral and the words chosen should be both accurate inclusive, she said.
It was a challenge to choose the right word, said Maria Celeste Valdivia, who is majoring in economics and international relations. At least for me, Spanish can be more formal often.
This formality meant that many messages that fit neatly onto a 1x1 Instagram post in English didnt fit neatly when translated into Spanish. Even job titles, city departments and seemingly simple words like straw required additional thought and care.
Coming into the internship, I thought I was really good with my Spanish and I thought I basically had it all covered but I learned quickly that that wasn't the case, said Gadiel Eli Rangel, a Spanish major and human rights minor. I don't usually use Spanish in more technical terms, or terms that I don't use often, so I had to research that and see what would be like a good translation for city attorney, for example.
Learning about local government
Rangel also reflected on how working with the city was enlightening in ways he hadnt expected.
Coming into the internship, I didnt really know the scope of everything that working for the city entailed and all the different departments that the City had, he said.
From public works and engineering to fire, police, parks and human resources, the City is responsible for much more than hed realized.
Everything really comes from the bottom up, thats not how I used to see it, Rangel said, noting he initially thought governments worked from the national level down to the local level. This window into city government gave him a greater appreciation for the behind-the-scenes work happening and the time and effort it takes for seemingly simple things to get done like city ordinances or even trash pick-up.
Aguilar-Quintero echoed this sentiment.
As a 51勛圖窪蹋 Davis student, she never really thought about the city being part of her community. Working with City staff changed that. She not only felt supported by her colleagues but now feels confident that City leaders will listen when community members, including college students, bring up issues or speak at city council meetings.
Students were required to attend at least one city council meeting and learned about the public comment period, a portion of every meeting when community members are able to speak on whatever topic, for the first time.
Blake Dempsey, who is majoring in Spanish and managerial economics, expected people to complain during public comment, but hadnt expected them to express their positive views or support for City decisions.
I didn't expect people who were on board with what the City was doing to come out and publicly declare their support, Dempsey said. I thought that was a really interesting perspective because it gave me an idea of what civic engagement really means because it means speaking up for what you believe in.
Media Resources
Maria Sestito, College of Letters and Science, msestito@ucdavis.edu