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Episcopal Community Services is an organization located in San Francisco that helps homeless and very low-income people obtain housing, jobs, shelter, and essential services.
Very recently, I was given the opportunity of volunteering for this organization as an English to Spanish Translator. And I have loved the progress that I have made so far for ECS.
First off, I had to get acquainted with the names of certain institutions that help the homeless and people with other big issues in specific ways:
Halfway House: This is an institute that helps people that were in jail and people with drug addiction re-enter society.
Sober Living Environments: These are facilities that provide housing for people that completed rehabilitation programs. SLEs serve as a transitional environment between rehabilitation and mainstream society.
Residential Treatment Program: This program is a fundamental part of the Residential Treatment Centers, wherein people with a history of substance abuse or mental illness are given a place to live as long as they undergo therapy.
After I researched these concepts, I was able to start with my first translation for ECS.
The file that I was assigned to work on was an application form for people interested in one of the three programs that ECS provides:
CHEFS This is a culinary training program. Students earn a Food Handlers Certification and spend 8 weeks in the kitchen learning their craft, station by station until they have mastered the skills to run the kitchen themselves.
Hospitality For All This is a program that trains for employment in the hospitality industry. Students complete a blended online and in-person course that includes California Career Essentials and California Principles of Tourism and Hospitality.
Adult Education Center This program offers individualized education to low-income adults in a community of learners.
Here is the aforementioned document along with its translated version:
Application Form translated into Spanish.
With this contribution I was able to use my time productively while in quarantine. Knowing there are people out there without a home who nevertheless strive to better themselves and overcome their struggles is humbling. People who despite their situation of having almost nothing still find a way to start anew. It really makes you appreciate what you do have.
Additional Notes:
Total of words translated: 971.