Yes, I do know what state standards are, but I think Daniel has some
valid points as well. The first time I say "state standards" in a
conversation or document, I often use estándares académicos del
estado de California or estándares académicos de California
to clarify which "estado" we're talking about (I agree that it isn't
clear on it's own), then use estándares académicos after that.
One of the things we aim for with our translations, in part because we
have a very large Spanish-speaking population and multiple people
working as translators, is to have consistency in the way we translate
and to have a set phrase to use rather than giving a
lengthy "definition" each time a concept is mentioned. The definition
would be used the first time and then the shorter phrase after that.
This includes trying to maintain consistency with the materials that
are provided in Spanish by the state dept. of education. (For example,
the dept. of education's translation for California Standards Test is
prueba de los estándares académicos de California.) By using
the same translation consistently for some of the concepts we're going
to be encountering often, if a parent hears us talking about
estándares académicos at an IEP meeting and later receives test
results in the mail mentioning those same estándares
académicos, they know we're talking about the same thing. If the
materials sent home said estándares and in IEP meetings we said
normas that connection might not be made.
To the OP, now that this got me thinking, rather than using either of
our translations you might want to look into any material that is sent
home to parents in Spanish, and how some of the concepts are
translated in those materials. My state and district use estándares
académicos very frequently, but yours may not. (If you are the
only person translating for your district this may not be an issue.)
Good luck!

On 11/04/09, Maestra del Sur wrote:
> I believe Lynne is an administrator in California and knows
> what "state standards" are. I frequently read her posts on the
> Administration board, and I have been impressed with her knowledge
> and professionalism. Please stop talking down to posters. Even
> those of us who are mere teachers are aware of the meaning of "state
> standards".
>
> On 11/03/09, Daniel Hanson wrote:
>> Lynne,
>>
>> I like estándares académicos, but one could argue that
>> that's not really specific enough for "state standards." When we
>> say "state standards," they are standards set forth by the
>> particular state's Department of Education for the content area
>> in question. "Del estado" would be a literal translation without
>> a whole lot of meaning, at least in Mexico. Actually, in most
>> Spanish-speaking countries, "el Estado" refers to the "State" as
>> in the national government or governing system. I don't mean to
>> be nitpicky, but I was more specific in my translations of IEPs.
>>
>> Thanks for the LA glossary link. I remember Googling a while
>> back and coming across that. Some of the suggestions were good.
>> Others were only comprehensible if someone was familiar with
>> American culture and how we do things in our American Education
>> System because some translations were very literal.
>>
>> I plan on investigating the use of "estándares" as an equivalent
>> of "standards" in this educational context. (I've used it that
>> way in the past, but I'm questioning myself, wondering whether
>> it's a false cognate in this context.)
>>
>> On 11/03/09, lynne/ca wrote:
>>> State Standards = estándares del estado (although I
>>> often use estándares académicos del estado or simply
>>> estándares académicos, obviously, "academic standards")

Share This Post | Report This Post

Next Post >>

Posts on this thread, including this one