Utah State University (USU) has rolled out a new initiative to broaden its reach, tailoring campus tours in Spanish for prospective students and their families, as reported by USU today. The Taggart Student Center saw an unusual crowd last month, consisting of current USU students rather than potential new Aggies, paired not with parents but with academic staff, there to witness the fruits of their labor, a Spanish-translated campus tour. The tours, a staple at USU, taken by rain or shine, typically showcase academic programs, student life, and highlights like the USU’s famous Aggie Ice Cream.
In a unique twist and true test of adaptation, it was Miles Croshaw, a USU student and campus ambassador, who led the mock tour in Spanish. With support from Annette Vazquez-Torres, assistant director for Access & Multicultural Engagement, and Assistant Professor of Translation and Interpretation Sofía Monzón Rodríguez, Croshaw undertook the task of guiding the tour, which involved current students from Monzón’s legal and business translation course, as reported by USU Today.
This new offering taps into the bilingual skills of 20 to 25 campus ambassadors, as noted by Vazquez-Torres, who sees it as “a great opportunity” to link with the translation and interpretation programs at the school. USU is following in the footsteps of several institutions in the state that already provide this crucial service. As he meandered through campus, script in hand, Croshaw sought to keep the experience as authentic as possible, making sure to engage with his Spanish-speaking audience.
Each student in the translation course worked on different segments of the tour, gaining a sense of ownership over their assigned parts. One of those students, finance major Kayson Hertzler, took the course to build skills to aid Spanish-speaking individuals in business settings. "We learned a ton of different things about words, and, I mean, just about the university," Hertzler said, as per USU Today. Providing those insights were Hertzler and Jacob Miller, a fellow student, who was quick to underscore the project's tangible impact, particularly for non-English speaking visitors to the USU campus.
