Cornell students provided critical translation services to victims of Binghamton violence

An armed man kills 13 people, seriously wounds four others and holds more than 40 hostage at an immigrant services center in Binghamton, N.Y. Adding to the confusion: Most of the people who use the center do not speak English as their first language.

Following this tragic attack in April by the gunman, who subsequently killed himself, 40 Cornell students regularly provided translation services in Binghamton in 40 different languages, ranging from Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic and Spanish to Russian, Kurdish, Cantonese and Mandarin.

The students were from the Cornell Public Service Center's Translator-Interpreter Program (TIP), a student-led program that screens and trains bilingual students and staff members to serve as volunteer translators for community agencies. TIP offers translation in 56 languages and has served more than 300 community agencies in Tompkins County and surrounding areas.

"TIP is one of a kind in the country," says Joyce Muchan, assistant director of student programs for the Cornell Public Service Center. "Since its inception in 2000, I have seen hundreds of emergency cases resolved efficiently and effectively."

After police took over the Binghamton immigrant center, the city's school district and Broome County Bar Association reached out to TIP. For weeks, Cornell students traveled to the city, assisting with grief counseling and legal consulting and providing information to the immigrants and refugees affected by the violence. They also interpreted counseling sessions for the more than 60 ESL (English as a second language) teachers (who don't necessarily know the languages of their students) and students affected by the violence.

"TIP was a life saver," said Trina Newton, an assistant superintendent for Binghamton city schools. TIP, she noted, was the only interpreter service in the state able to help. The students contact every adult ESL student, for example, to keep them informed of new class locations and were on hand to interpret when local agencies explained their services. As a result, said Newton, most students returned to class. "It was emotional for everyone, but TIP made the day easier, [and] many victims received assistance for the first time. Every university should have a TIP; it is invaluable. We are forever indebted to [them]."

TIP students also helped attorneys at four clinics deal with immigration issues faced by the surviving hostages and the families of those who died. Each individual seeking legal assistance was paired with an attorney and a translator. In some instances dual translation was necessary to communicate in tribal dialects.

Lisa Elliott St. John is assistant director of external relations at the Cornell Public Service Center.

TIP rolls out new translation tools for community agencies

The Cornell Public Service Center's Translator Interpreter Program (TIP) recently unveiled new tools for such emergency responders as police and fire departments requiring language services: A pamphlet and wallet-sized card featuring point-and-translate phrases to ease language barriers and encourage effective communication.

Both contain phrases in many languages that say, "Point to your language, an interpreter will be called." The brochure also includes a pronunciation key to help agencies identify a client's language and detailed instructions on how to use the card.

TIP also cooperates with the Language Pairing Program at Cornell to promote intercultural understanding on campus, publishes the newsletter "CultureGram" and hosts Taste of Culture, a dessert-tasting event, where guests also sample phrases of foreign languages.

For such initiatives, TIP was recently nominated for the International Association of Chiefs of Police's 2009 Civil Rights Award.

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Joe Schwartz