Introducing: Sold a Story en Español

Summary

Sold a Story: Introducing Sold a Story en Español

Released March 19, 2024 by APM Reports

In the latest episode of Sold a Story, host Emily Hanford unveils a significant expansion of the podcast’s reach by introducing its Spanish-language counterpart, Sold a Story en Español. This episode marks a pivotal moment in the series' mission to expose and challenge the ineffective methods widely used in teaching children to read. Through insightful discussions and the introduction of Valeria Fernandez, the episode delves into the necessity, challenges, and implications of translating the podcast for Spanish-speaking audiences in the United States.

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1. Episode Overview and Updates Post-Release

Emily Hanford opens the episode by reflecting on the impact and developments since the original Sold a Story was released over a year ago. She notes a substantial decline in the sales of the disproven reading instruction methods that the podcast critiques:

"Since Sold a Story came out, six sales have really cratered. In 2019, they were almost off the chart and now it's just barely a blip." [00:20]

Emily shares that schools and the implicated publishing company have experienced significant setbacks, likening the collapse to the downfall of Cold War-era statues. Additionally, she mentions upcoming updates featuring feedback from teachers, parents, and students, highlighting the ongoing struggles and progress in fourth-grade reading capabilities.

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2. Introducing Valeria Fernandez and the Spanish Adaptation

A major highlight of the episode is the introduction of Valeria Fernandez, an investigative journalist based in Phoenix, who takes on the role of hosting Sold a Story en Español. Emily emphasizes the importance of this adaptation to reach Spanish-speaking parents and educators:

"Valeria is a journalist based in Phoenix and she is the host of Solda's Story and Espanol." [01:00]

Valeria introduces herself as an independent journalist from Uruguay with a focus on immigration, social justice, and bilingual education. As a mother of a 4-year-old preparing to start school, her personal and professional experiences fuel her passion for ensuring effective reading instruction for children who speak Spanish at home.

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3. The Importance of Reaching Spanish-Speaking Communities

The conversation underscores the critical need for Sold a Story to be accessible to Spanish-speaking audiences. Emily highlights the disconnect many Spanish-speaking parents face when their children are taught to read in English, often without adequate support:

"Parents really need to understand some things about what it takes to learn the English language and what schools are or not doing in terms of teaching that really well to their children who need to learn how to speak English and read English." [04:03]

Valeria echoes this sentiment, stressing that Sold a Story en Español provides essential information and resources tailored to the unique challenges faced by bilingual families in the U.S.

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4. Challenges in Translating the Podcast

Translating Sold a Story into Spanish posed significant challenges, as discussed by Emily and Valeria. Emily shares the complexities involved in ensuring accurate and culturally relevant translations:

"No one on our core team speak Spanish. And, you know, we have little arguments and debates about the particular word that we choose in English as we're going through and editing scripts." [02:02]

Valeria elaborates on the linguistic differences between English and Spanish, noting that Spanish's more straightforward phonetics make it easier to teach reading compared to the irregularities of English:

"Spanish is a much easier language to learn to read than English. You don't have, you know, all these silent letters. There's only the h." [03:30]

These discussions highlight the dedication and meticulous effort required to produce a faithful and effective Spanish version of the podcast.

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5. The Role of Language Complexity in Reading Education

A significant portion of the episode delves into how the inherent complexities of the English language contribute to the challenges in teaching children to read. Emily points out that English's irregularities necessitate more extended and intensive instruction:

"English is one of the most difficult languages to learn. It takes two or three years for, like a typically developing kid to learn the basics of written English, whereas if a kid gets some good instruction in Spanish, it usually takes only about a year or so to teach them how to decode the Spanish language." [03:56]

This comparison underscores the urgency for effective teaching methods and resources for English language learners, particularly in bilingual households.

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6. Additional Resources for Spanish-Speaking Parents

To support Spanish-speaking parents, Sold a Story en Español offers a variety of translated materials and resources. Emily highlights the availability of in-depth articles, tips, and advice tailored to help parents navigate the complexities of their children's reading education:

"We also translated into Spanish several in depth articles that we've written about how reading is taught in American schools, how it's tested. We have those in translation so they can be read in Spanish." [04:43]

Furthermore, a comprehensive list of Spanish-language resources is available on their website, providing actionable strategies for parents concerned about their children's reading progress.

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7. Conclusion and Future Directions

The episode concludes with heartfelt thanks to Valeria Fernandez for spearheading the Spanish adaptation and a call to action for listeners to spread the word within their Spanish-speaking communities. Emily encourages listeners to access Sold a Story en Español through podcast platforms and the show's website:

"Sold a Story in Spanish is available now. Search for it in your podcast app or just click the link in the show notes." [05:44]

Emily also teases upcoming English episodes, inviting listeners to subscribe for future updates and continued exploration of the flawed reading instruction narrative.

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Key Takeaways:

• Expansion to Spanish: Sold a Story has launched a Spanish-language version to reach and support Spanish-speaking parents and educators in the U.S.

• Introduction of Valeria Fernandez: An experienced journalist and mother, Valeria leads the Spanish adaptation, bringing her expertise in bilingual education and social justice.

• Challenges in Translation: The process involved navigating linguistic nuances and ensuring cultural relevance, reflecting the complexities of teaching reading in English versus Spanish.

• Importance of Effective Reading Instruction: Highlighting the critical role of proper reading education, especially for children learning English as a second language.

• Available Resources: Comprehensive translated materials and resources are provided to assist parents in supporting their children's reading development.

This episode not only broadens the podcast’s reach but also reinforces its commitment to advocating for evidence-based reading education across diverse communities.

Transcript

[Emily]

Hey, it's Emily. I'm here to tell you about a couple of things. First, we have new episodes coming. It's been more than a year since Sold a Story came out and a lot has happened to the people we focused on. It's just like watching one of those statues being pulled down from the Cold War and the company too. So what I'm looking at here is a graph that shows since Solda story came out, six sales have really cratered. In 2019, they were almost off the chart and now it's just barely a blip. We're also going to get updates from some of the teachers and parents you met in the podcast and kids. And how is fourth grade going so far? It's going pretty amazing. The other thing I want to tell you is that we have adapted and translated a one hour version of Sold a Story into Spanish. And there's someone I want you to meet. Her name is Valeria Fernandez.

[Valeria Fernandez]

Hi, Emily.

[Emily]

Hi, Valeria. Valeria is a journalist based in Phoenix and she is the host of Solda's Story and Espanol.

[Valeria Fernandez]

I'm excited about this project. I really want Spanish speakers in the United States, especially parents, to hear the Solda story. En so if you know parents, educators, or know people that will be interested in the topic and speak Spanish, please invite them to check the podcast.

[Emily]

You can find the podcast by searching for Sol Destoria en Espanol and we will have a link in our show notes that you can share with people. So we have Valeria here. Tell us a little bit about yourself, Valeria.

[Valeria Fernandez]

I am an independent investigative journalist based in Arizona, originally from Uruguay, and I reported on immigration, issues of social justice and also bilingual education. Now I'm also a mom and I have a 4 year old kid who is about to start school. So I'm really interested in seeing how schools are teaching how to read. I think it's really important to make the right choice, especially now that I'm familiar with the findings and investigation of Sola's story. Understanding that reading is really the foundation for the rest of education of my kid and that he faces special challenges being a kid that speaks Spanish at home and will be learning how to read English at school.

[Emily]

Yeah, you know, parents know that. I think they know that reading is important. They assume that when they send their kids to school they'll be taught how to read. And I think that's what's been so shocking for many parents to recognize in Hearing Sold a story that that is not necessarily the case. And that's really why we wanted to translate it into Spanish. It was much harder and it took much longer than we thought it would. No one on our core team speak Spanish. And, you know, we have little arguments and debates about the particular word that we choose in English as we're going through and editing scripts. And it was fascinating to sort of turn this over and to watch the various Spanish spe speaking journalists and translators involved in arguing over exactly the right words to use. Yes.

[Valeria Fernandez]

I mean, translating is always a challenge. Right. Because in Spanish you may have more choices of words. And also we had another element here that is like how English is taught, how Spanish is taught. The difference in the language itself, like Spanish is a much easier language to learn to read than English. You don't have, you know, all these silent letters. There's only the h. So in English, it's a whole different ball game.

[Emily]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I've always thought that one of the reasons there's been so much argument in the United States about how to teach kids to read is because it turns out that English is one of the most difficult languages to learn. Right. It takes two or three years for, like a typically developing kid to learn the basics of written English, whereas if a kid gets some good instruction in Spanish, it usually takes only about a year or so to teach them how to decode the Spanish language.

[Valeria Fernandez]

But it's important to have a podcast in Spanish talking about English in the context of the United States, because that's where kids are going to be taught.

[Emily]

You have lots and lots of kids who are speaking Spanish at home, but learning to read English in school. And I think parents really need to understand some things about what it takes to learn the English language and what schools are or not doing in terms of teaching that really well to their children who need to learn how to speak English and read English.

[Valeria Fernandez]

Yeah. That's why, in addition to condensing and translating Soldier's Story into Spanish, we also make a second episode where you and I really talk about those special challenges for kids that speak Spanish at home but are learning English at school, which is going to be exactly the case of my son. And so I think I found that episode super helpful and I think other parents will too.

[Emily]

Yeah, we have that. And we also translated into Spanish several in depth articles that we've written about how reading is taught in American schools, how it's tested. We have those in translation so they can be read in Spanish. And I also put together a list of Spanish Spanish language resources for parents who might be worried that their children are struggling with learning how to read. And it has some tips and advice and things you can do. You can find all of that at Soldastory. Es. That's Soldastory. All one word es. And there is a link to that in the show notes.

[Valeria Fernandez]

Lots of really good information there for parents to check out.

[Emily]

So thank you very much, Valeria for doing this. It was so exciting to have someone else be a host of Soldastory. It was really fun working with with you and your team on this project.

[Valeria Fernandez]

I really enjoy it, Emily, and I think this is going to be extremely helpful to a lot of parents and families out there. It's an incredibly important story.

[Emily]

Thanks, Valeria.

[Valeria Fernandez]

Thank you, Emily.

[Emily]

Sold a Story in Spanish is available now. Search for it in your podcast app or just click the link in the show notes. And please spread the word with the Spanish speaking people in your life, especially, especially parents. And keep an eye out for the new episodes of Sold a Story in English. We'll be dropping those episodes soon. You can sign up for alerts at our website, soldastory.org scroll down to where it says email notifications. Thanks for listening. We'll be back soon.