Mirna Yamileth Valladares Flores had received little to no communication from her 13-year-old daughter’s Norfolk middle school, and was frustrated.
Valladares, who was a teacher in her native Honduras, called the school and asked for an interpreter to translate between English and Spanish. She was told no one was available.
Valladares is one of the small but growing number of Hampton Roads residents who speak primarily Spanish. Residents and citizens who speak English “less than very well,” as designated by the U.S. Census’s American Community Survey, have the right to public services and to participate in civic life, but their access is often hindered by insufficient translation and interpretation services across the seven cities.
Disappointed by the lack of communication, Valladares went to the school on her day off to try to speak with the administration. She waited for three hours for someone to interpret for her — either in person, which Valladares prefers, or over the phone from an on-demand interpretation service contracted by Norfolk Public Schools. According to Valladares, no one on staff or in the district helped her that day.