Language Services

Buncombe County Schools (BCS) employs on-call interpreters and translators for Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese and Moldovan.  When the need arises for a different language, BCS strives to contract with an outside agency to meet this need.

Procedures to Request Interpretation or Translation Services 

Each Buncombe County School has one "Designee" that works with the Language Services Coordinator in the central office to process in-person, virtual or school-wide events interpretation needs of the staff.  The Language Services Coordinator, in turn, will assign the job to the specific interpreter and/or translator.  

***Please note the difference between an interpreter and a translator.  An interpreter converts any oral or spoken language from one language to another, either in person or over the phone, including at parent-teacher conferences and school events.  A translator converts written materials of documents, including flyers, letters, and handbooks.

  • OPTION #1 -Telephonic Interpreter: **30 minute limit**

    • 2023-2024 Phone Interpreting Services

    • No Designee or appointment needed

    • Available around the clock for more than 300 languages

    • After filling out this form, you will receive an automatic email response with the subject line "Telephonic Interpreting Access Info" containing all the necessary information to access these services.

  • OPTION #2 - Translation Request ALL BCS  (Written) No Designee needed:

  • OPTION #3 - IN-Person or Virtual Requests and Events (Interpreter) DESIGNEE NEEDED:

Buncombe County Schools will train, monitor and evaluate interpreters, in order to provide a quality experience for both families and school's staff. 

In order to protect the educational rights and privacy of families, and to avoid and potential violations of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the use of school personnel who are also employed as interpreters will be limited at their base school except for school-wide events such as parents' programs or workshops.

Students as Interpreters

The use of students as interpreters is NOT allowed in Buncombe County Schools, and it is considered a violation of the approved standards by BCS.

Contact Information

Language Services Coordinator:
Beldi Marriaga Ortiz
languageservices@bcsemail.org
Phone: 828-350-2295
Cell: 828-775-0736