Welcome!
The mission of the Office of Translation and Interpretation (OTI) is to promote meaningful family and community engagement by eliminating language and cultural barriers and promoting equity through language access.
Our Services
The Office of Translation & Interpretation (OTI) provides language access support to assist in communicating mainly academic information between schools and families to increase engagement in school activities and district-wide functions. This full range of language services is designed to help in Austin ISD’s mission of providing a comprehensive educational experience to prepare our students for college, career and life.
What we offer
Video Remote Interpretion (VRI)*
Interpretation (In person/Zoom)*
Translations (Documents)*
*Services need to be requested by an Austin ISD employee. If you are an Austin ISD family needing services, please contact your school so they may request services on your behalf. Please email an Austin ISD staff member or contact your campus via Let’s Talk (go to the bottom and click on Contact Campus by Text and select the school your child attends).
Please select the type of service you need.
Our Austin ISD Team
Cynthia Dacarett
Language Access Coordinator
Milly Hernandez
OTI Assistant-Scheduler
General Education Spanish Translators & Interpreters
Magdalena Graybill, Melissa González, Victor Rodriguez, Margarita Ruvalcaba-Ordóñez
Special Education Spanish Translators & Interpreters
Rachel Browne and Sandra Salgado
Select "Our History" to expand menu.
In 1982, Austin ISD’s Associate Superintendent Dr. Gonzalo Garza saw the need to provide Spanish-language services for the increasingly growing Spanish-speaking population of students and families of Austin ISD. Dr. Franciso Perea was hired as the first translator for Austin ISD, working full-time in the Office of State and Federal Programs. Dr. Perea held the position as District Translator providing Spanish-language support for Chapter 1 (now Title 1) schools for over 40 years.
While Dr. Perea’s main duties centered on translation, there was a need for interpretation services as well. In 2004, Austin ISD hired Irma Gómez-Palacios as the full-time District Interpreter for the Office of Communications. In time, the need to hire more translators became apparent. Dr. Janice Guerrero Thompson, Austin ISD’s Executive Director for Planning and Community Relations developed the idea to create an Office of Translation and Interpretation.
In 2010, the Office of Translation and Interpretation (OTI) was formally established, with Irma Gómez-Palacios as its first Language Support Coordinator. While the OTI only serviced the Communications Office in Planning and Community Relations, all district translators and interpreters, including those working in Multilingual Education and Special Education programs, were housed in the same area, making it easier to share resources and expertise, which benefitted Austin ISD.
Currently, all translators and interpreters are managed under the Department of Communications and Community Engagement (DCCE), which has helped to increase and improve language services offered to Austin ISD’s Spanish-speaking students and families. The OTI also manages the translation and interpretation services offered to students and families speaking other languages, including American Sign Language.