Harris County Department of Education’s (HCDE) Marketing & Client Engagement team welcomed nearly 20 language-access professionals and translators on Sept. 22 to the latest HCDE Connects: A Multilingual Network. Hosted by Translations Coordinator Wendy Utterback, the quarterly meetings bring together school district personnel, industry staff members and like-minded professionals who serve English as a second language stakeholders and populations who speak languages other than English.

The meeting allows attendees to network and share insights and strategies. They focused on “The Human Touch,” which emphasized how body language and cues can play a vital role in communications where language might be a barrier. They also discussed how identities, culture and emotions can offer better understanding and a clearer picture to a message.

HCDE Connects is a year-long initiative held between the Professional Translators and Interpreters Conference.