Many immigrant families forgo a difficult process getting integrated with the New Orleans community because of one basic practice: translation errors. But a new program at Loyola aims to bridge that gap.

The university looked at the issue of translation and decided to open an entirely new major for bilingual students looking to create job opportunities out of their bilingual capabilities.

That program got a boost in January 2016 when Dorothy Duval Nelson donated $36,000 in translation equipment to that program.

Uriel Quesada, language professor and director of Latin American and Caribbean studies, said the donation included technical equipment that students will be able to use as training for their careers in translation.

“It’s basically transmitters, two sets of little devices, one allows you to listen while the other allows you to speak. The device is used for simultaneous and consecutive translating, you know, like you see in the movies,” Quesada said.

The update to Loyola’s curriculum has been in process since October 2015 and was finally permitted to launch the new major in the fall of 2016.

According to Quesada, two year ago, Loyola noticed the growing population of Latin American students and families coming to the New Orleans area and saw the consequences of that influx.

Since the translation and interpretation program has been in the works, it has attracted over 80 students looking to pursue a career in healthcare or legal translation.