Montclair’s Spanish Translation and Health Students Assist with COVID-19 Information Event

On Sunday, April 18, 2021, students from Dr. Maria Jose Garcia Vizcaino’s course, SPAN 507: Translation and Health Services, assisted with an informational event on the COVID-19 vaccines at Glenfield Park in Montclair, NJ. The event was sponsored by the Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence (MFEE) Community Health Workers and hosted by the Montclair Mutual Aid organization. It was a gathering where attendees could get food and other donated items, listen to music, and receive information about the COVID-19 vaccines. MFEE´s Community Health Workers were there with flyers and information tables. Beatriz Gamarra and Dalia Vargas, two students from Dr. Maria Jose’s class, assisted Latino families that attended the event by translating all the information provided.

The event was very well-attended and the students were fantastic, according to Masiel Rodriquez-Vars, Executive Director of MFEE. She reported with excitement that they successfully registered several Spanish-speaking people for the vaccines and some were already getting their first doses the following day.

Dr. Maria Jose added, “I am very proud of my students and I think this type of initiatives between MSU and the Montclair community are key to make students aware of the difference they can make with the knowledge and training they are getting from their courses. Translation is an applied discipline, so it makes all the sense that students put their learning into practice contributing to help facilitating communication for the Latino population, especially in relevant areas such as health services and COVID-19 vaccination initiatives.”