Provides a way when there is often not a way.
Community Review for Google Translate
My Take
In previous years, when we had students arrive with literally no English, there would be little in way of options for core subjects to get important instruction to those students without the aid of interpretation or ESL teacher, especially for foreign languages other than Spanish, which is more common. When there was no interpreter, there were no options. With Google Translate, all that is needed is a device with wifi/internet and a student becomes self-sufficient and can be included in the learning along with classmates. It may not be a spot-on interpretation but it is enough to get the gist of the instruction and may also aid in speeding up the comprehension of English in an immersive classroom environment.
How I Use It
I had a Vietnamese student in my 8th grade Math class with no English have his Chromebook next to him and open at all times with two tabs of Google Translate - One tab from English to Vietnamese and one the other way around. If he had a question, he would type in and I would see as I walked by or monitored the room or if he raised his hand. I could then immediately address his questions and provide feedback and resources for him. I was able to provide class instructions for him and I do believe it helped him learn English faster. It wasn't perfect but I was able to communicate with a student who spoke Vietnamese only and was able to provide math instruction via this wonderfully easy tool. I'm extremely thankful for it!