When interpreting services become the bridge

A new way to experience graduation together

Imagine traveling thousands of miles to watch your granddaughter graduate. You find your seat. The ceremony begins. Your family’s excitement fills the room, but you don’t speak English. For one family at Lake Washington High School, this was exactly the situation. A grandmother had traveled all the way from Madrid to celebrate her granddaughter’s graduation. Thanks to live Spanish interpretation, she could follow the ceremony, understand the words being spoken and fully share in the moment. For her family, technology was more than a service. It meant she was included. 

That is the story behind how live interpretation was introduced at this year’s graduation ceremonies through the ILA web-hosting application. 

A graduation everyone could experience 
Graduation is one of those moments families remember forever. It is the culmination of years of hard work, a moment when students walk across a stage and families cheer, laugh, cry and celebrate together. But for families who speak languages other than English, some of those moments can be difficult to fully experience. This last school year, in alignment with Language Access Policy 4218, live interpretation services were introduced to help change that. The goal was not simply to translate a ceremony. It was to make sure families could understand the speeches, follow the celebration, hear their loved ones’ words and feel like they were truly part of the moment. And the response was immediate. 

The numbers tell part of the story 
Data collected from the live interpretation sessions offers a glimpse into the community being served. Spanish accounted for more than half of all interpretation interactions, making it by far the most requested language. Chinese was the second most prevalent language, followed by Portuguese. Other languages represented a smaller number of interactions, but each one tells its own story of families, cultures and loved ones coming together to celebrate student achievements. 

The data gives us an important roadmap for the future. It helps us understand where demand is greatest and where additional language resources may be needed. But the numbers only tell part of the story. The families tell the rest.

Language was no longer a barrier 
One Latino family from Tesla STEM High School, whose student speaker was Rafael Reyes, described what the experience meant to them. Their family members who did not speak English were able to listen to the ceremony and understand what was happening not just watch from the audience. They described the experience as extraordinary and shared a powerful reflection: 

"For once, language was no longer a barrier but instead interpreting services were the bridge that brought our families together." 

In that moment, interpretation did more than translate words: connected a family. 

Hearing every word 
At Lake Washington High School, another Spanish-speaking family shared how interpretation transformed their experience of a student speech. They were able to understand every word of their cousin Maddison Figueroa Doblado’s speech. Her words moved them so deeply that they brought the family to tears. Being able to hear those words in their own language made the moment even more meaningful. 

"Thank you so much for helping Spanish-speaking families feel included during such important moments."

That idea of feeling included appears repeatedly in the feedback from families. Because accessibility is not simply about whether someone can enter a room. It is about whether they can participate once they are there. 

From Madrid to the graduation stage 
The grandmother who traveled from Madrid offered another important piece of feedback. She was able to follow the ceremony in Spanish and said the sound was clear and easy to understand, even while wearing hearing aids. For her family, having interpretation available made the graduation more special. 

Behind the scenes: Collaboration made it possible  
What families experienced in the audience was simple: they listened, understood, and celebrated. Behind the scenes, however, making that possible required collaboration. This was truly a cross-departmental collaboration among our technology, event logistics, communications and language access teams. Their partnership was a key factor in bringing this project to life and making it a success. The result was not simply the implementation of a new service, It was the creation of a new possibility for families: the possibility of experiencing graduation together, without language standing between them and the moment. 

The moment that matters 
At the end of the day, the success of live interpretation cannot be measured only by the number of interactions or the languages requested. It can be measured in moments. A grandmother from Madrid hearing her granddaughter’s graduation ceremony in a language she understands. An entire family who came from Mexico City being able to follow along as their dear nephew and grandson spoke on stage. A family listening together as a cousin delivers a speech that brings them to tears. These are the moments that remind us why language access matters. Because every student deserves to look into the audience and know that the people who came to celebrate them can understand, participate and share in the joy. 

This year, live interpretation helped make that possible. And in doing so, it showed us something powerful: When we remove language barriers, we don't just make information more accessible. We bring people closer together.