The World Athletic Championships are coming to Eugene in July. The best athletes across the globe will flock to Tracktown USA for the nine-day competition.
This is the first time that the championships have ever been hosted by the US. The event provides a wonderful opportunity to showcase Oregon, but also presents logistical challenges, with one of the biggest being the language barriers between athletes, visitors and Oregonians.
To meet this need, two Oregon brands are partnering to take on the challenge.
The first is Avant Assessment, a Eugene-based language proficiency testing platform and leader in the language testing industry, that assesses students and adults in 40 languages. Founded in Eugene in 2001 as a spin out of the University of Oregon, Avant Assessment has employees across the globe, with about one-third based in Oregon.
Partnering with Avant, is the Global Seal of Biliteracy, an organization that provides a free credential to anyone with language proficiency in two or more languages as demonstrated through a qualifying test. Founded by Executive Director Linda Egnatz, a Global Seal of Biliteracy can be used as a credential for academic and employment purposes.
“We are excited to work with the Oregon community to identify and certify bilinguals that will be equipped to provide language assistance to the 100,000 visitors anticipated for Oregon22,” said Egnatz. “Not only will they provide meaningful service, but they’ll receive a language credential to add to their resume.”
Egnatz and Avant CEO David Bong will be setting their sights on improving language access ahead of the World Championships. The solution? A mobile digital platform that visitors can use to access language resources.
“The World Championships draw people from over 190 countries,” said Hunter Sudek, Program Manager at the Global Seal of Biliteracy. “To create a seamless, positive experience, we are creating a tool that can welcome visitors in their own language. We’re creating an easy-to-use mobile platform that is full of resources that will help visitors to navigate Eugene in their language.”
The platform will provide interpreting resources, but will also include translated maps, travel destinations, and more. The goal is to have language resources accessible for visitors in one space.
It is also designed to get more people certified by Global Seal of Biliteracy in order to populate the app with those who can provide interpreting services.
“Language skills are essential for students and businesses alike,” said Egnatz. “Our goal is to make the Global Seal of Biliteracy a key career credential in Oregon and around the world. Language skills, especially in the medical, law enforcement, and public service industries, are essential, and can drastically improve the health and cultural richness of our community.”
Those interested in getting involved can find more information online.
This is part of a regular guest column written by the Technology Association of Oregon. If you are interested in submitting a guest post please email Malia Spencer at mspencer@bizjournals.com.
