The Department of Communications and Community Engagement (DCCE) provides interpretation services for parents, in order to enable families to easily access information and actively participate in the education of their children. For requests related to Special Education, please contact Maria Elena Ramon at 512-414-4063 or by email at maria-elena.ramon@austinisd.org.

The following interpretation services are provided until all allocated funds are exhausted:

• Central Office Departments – Interpretation services are available for routine district-wide communication and parent engagement.
  • Board Meetings
  • Community Engagement Meetings
  • Parent Workshops
  • Disciplinary Hearings
  • Committee Meetings
• Individual Schools – Interpretation services to individual schools are provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • School-wide Special Meetings
  • Back-To-School Nights
    • Interpreters will be present for the introductory portion of the meeting.
  • Campus Advisory Council Meetings
  • Parent Workshops
  • Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • PTA meetings will be covered for Title I schools based on available funds. PTAs also have the option to borrow equipment from our office and have one of their members interpret if there are no funds or district interpreters available.
    • Please submit your request at least 7 business days before the meeting. We also request that the parties requesting the services confirm attendance of their members that need interpretation through an RSVP and inform our office of the expected number of attendees 48 hours before the event. Please email us at translation@austinisd.org call us at (512)-414-4581 with any additional questions

Additional Information:

• Requests will ONLY be accepted electronically using the on-line request form.
• If language support is needed in any language other than Spanish, we ask that the requester verifies with the attendees that they will be present before requesting an interpreter.
• A minimum notice of 5 business days is requested to schedule an interpreter. Please note, interpreter availability may still be limited and there is no guarantee an interpreter will be scheduled.
• We may request your department or school confirms attendance of participants through an RSVP if our office covers 3 events where interpretation is not needed due to lack of attendance.
• Please email any relevant material (i.e. talking points, PPTs, etc.) to translation@austinisd.org to help the interpreters familiarize themselves with the subject beforehand.
• Please have a designated area or table for the interpreter to set the equipment and direct people to obtain a receiver from the interpreter.
• If a large amount of participants is expected, please have staff available to help the interpreter distribute equipment once the interpretation has started.
• If you have any questions, email translation@austinisd.org or call 512-414-4581.

Cancellations:

• Cancellations must be made at least 48 hours in advance of the scheduled start time. If the cancellation is made within 24 hours or less, the requesting campus or department will be billed for services as if they were delivered. Please email translation@austinisd.org or call 512-414-4581 to cancel your request.

Services available for a fee:

For events not covered by our department the requester will be given the option to obtain services for a fee:

• As an industry standard, interpreters bill for their services based on a 2-hour minimum.
• Most assignments lasting over an hour will require two (2) interpreters. The interpreters will switch every 15-30 minutes.
• The fees can vary between $60 - $120 per hour/per interpreter depending on the time in advance the vendor was given to find an interpreter, language, and time and date of the interpretation assignment. 

Quotes are always available before you decide to proceed with the request. Please contact translation@austinisd.org or call 512-414-4581 if you would like to request one.