Translation Issues A Growing Concern

By KEVIN WIATROWSKI
kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com

It began with a simple request: Would the Barrington Homeowners Association print its notices in Spanish for the benefit of the handful of residents who didn't speak English?

Al Henriquez-Shem made the request, which divided the HOA's board of directors. Some agreed translations were a good idea; some thought they weren't needed and worried about the cost of having them done, said board member Roxy Coriell.

Within a few weeks in December, the issue flared.

Shem, who has clashed with board members before over the association's dues, filed a complaint with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People charging discrimination.

The Barrington incident illustrates an issue now taking hold in Pasco and throughout the Tampa Bay area:

How far should neighborhood associations go to ensure residents who don't speak English understand the bills, meeting notices and other information associations send out?

It's a legitimate issue for associations, said Larry McLaughlin, president of the East Pasco Council of Neighborhood Associations, an umbrella group for communities east of U.S. 41.

``The people who have trouble with the English language still need the information,'' McLaughlin said.

So far, though, the issue remains largely an academic one in Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

``I don't know that I've ever had that problem before,'' said Mel Phillips, longtime president of the West Pasco Council of Neighborhood Associations.

Hispanics make up just over one-half of 1 percent of Pasco County's population, but their numbers are growing three times faster than the population at large, according to recent census figures.

Between 1990 and 2000, Hispanic numbers grew 111 percent in Pasco County. As of mid-2002, Pasco County's had more than 24,000 Hispanics, up 24 percent since the last census, according to the most recent estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Wesley Chapel and Dade City had the greatest concentrations of Hispanic residents, according to the census.

Of Pasco's 147,000 households in 2000, 7,500 included Spanish speakers. Of those, 1,068 - 14 percent - spoke only Spanish, according to the most recent census figures available offering those details. Also in 2000, 70 percent of Pasco's Hispanic homes were owner-occupied, according to the census.

Pasco ranks fifth of the state's 67 counties for the pace its Hispanic population is growing; Pinellas and Hillsborough rank 25th and 26th, according to the census.

Few of the neighborhood associations contacted for this story reported a large demand for translated materials. But some said it's an issue they see growing in importance in the future.

``It's not a major problem right now,'' said Tom Jones, community manager for Carrollwood's Plantation neighborhood in Hillsborough County.

``We have some indication that some of our residents are having a language difficulty but it's one that we're managing,'' Jones said.

Until recently, Jones' office had a bilingual worker in- house to handle translations. Now, he calls on the Spanish- speaking wife of a board member. But for the most part, those needing translations are on their own, Jones said.

Some residents get their children to translate for them, Jones said. That's a situation that can create two kinds of translation problems, he said: Explaining sometimes-complex issues in terms children can understand, then hoping the children can communicate those issues correctly to their parents.

Jones and Shem agree translations are likely to become more important as greater numbers of Spanish-speakers settle here and raise their families.

``The trend seems to be continuing,`` Jones said.

Reach reporter Kevin Wiatrowski at (813) 948-4201.

This story can be found at: http://tampatrib.com/pasconews/MGAC0597APD.html