NC State students are putting their Spanish skills to use in professional settings thanks to VOLAR. VOLAR, or Voluntarios Ahora en Raleigh, is an NC State organization that helps Spanish-speaking communities overcome communication barriers by providing volunteer Spanish-English translators. 

Emily Sands, the director of VOLAR, said the organization gives students valuable experience utilizing their Spanish and English skills. 

“Our mission as an organization is to get students here on NC State’s campus that speak Spanish out into the Hispanic community volunteering,” Sands said. “Our hope is that the students are enriched by the experience, both through the act of volunteering and culturally and linguistically with their Spanish skills, while also seeing how their language is applicable outside of the classroom.”

The need for translation services is growing with increasing Hispanic populations in Raleigh. Approximately 11% of Raleigh’s total population is Hispanic or Latino, and that percentage continues to grow. Volunteers are constantly needed in the community, and VOLAR welcomes all students who are proficient in FLS 202 or higher. 

“This program is an amazing opportunity for our students,” Sands said. “It helps them grow their language skills, but it also helps them become more rounded individuals. They work with the Hispanic community in the Raleigh area. They get to know what issues are important and really affecting that community. They are expanding their knowledge beyond just the classroom setting, and build[ing] those relationships. The experiences mold them into good citizens.”

VOLAR partners with the Mexican Consulate, the Guatemala Consulate, Urban Ministries and Alliance Medical Ministries to provide services for Spanish-speaking families in Raleigh. These services include translating parent-teacher conferences, reading to children in Spanish and helping parents acquire Christmas gifts for their children.

Joshua Wasserman, a fourth-year studying Spanish and international studies and the president of VOLAR, said the service aspect of the group is important.

“One purpose is to give our students here an opportunity to develop their Spanish language skills,” Wasserman said. “We give them an opportunity to flesh out that professionalism within their Spanish. Our second purpose, and probably more important purpose, is that we serve our community.” 

VOLAR is also concerned with helping Spanish-speaking kids take pride in their language and culture. 

“At the Mexican consulate, we read to little kids in Spanish to make them proud of their Spanish,” Wasserman said. “We try to inspire them to make them want to be bilingual. I think it’s really cool to see a kid who was at first nervous to speak to us in Spanish, now reading to us in Spanish. It’s cool to see them excited about their culture and heritage.”

In a city that primarily speaks English, VOLAR works to give children a positive portrayal of their language. 

“We’re helping to engage young children with the language to make sure they see that there are people who want to learn their language and they see the benefit of speaking two languages,” Sands said. “We want to motivate them to continue to learn their family’s language.”

Communication barriers often cause disconnects between teachers and parents, which VOLAR aims to address. VOLAR volunteers are regularly at parent-teacher conferences as translators, which allows Spanish-speaking parents to establish a relationship with their child’s teacher and have a more active role in their child’s education.

“It’s really wonderful to see the level of care and the level of involvement that these parents — despite not having that English language proficiency — really seeing how much they truly want to be involved with their kids’ education,” Wasserman said. 

For more information on VOLAR, visit its Instagram.