UD site now offered in Spanish

University officials launched a Spanish-language version of its website as part of their mission to increase its accessibility and presence in Spanish-speaking countries.

Tracey Bryant, the associate director of the Office of Communications & Marketing who helped develop the website, stated in an email message that the translated website will help attract students from Spanish-speaking countries.

"[The new website] brings an important dimension to our international communications and outreach that few other universities have," Bryant said.

The Institute for Global Studies and its advisory board recommended Spanish as the first language chosen for the website's translation, based on the numerous partnerships the university maintains with schools in Spanish-speaking countries as well as active admissions recruiting efforts in Latin America, Bryant said.

Admissions counselor Renee Koerner, who works with prospective Spanish-speaking students, said the translated website will be helpful for international students. The website will be especially useful for those who are still learning English or plan to study the language in the United States before beginning their bachelor's or post-graduate work, she said.

"There are people throughout the world who are potentially interested in studying, working or giving to the university, and many of them speak Spanish," Koerner said.

She said the website will also facilitate the admissions process for American students whose families are from Spanish-speaking countries.

"An admissions site in Spanish empowers Latino parents with knowledge and allows them to be more proactive in their children's college search and admissions process," Koerner said.

Matthew Robinson, director of the Institute of Global Studies and business professor, said the university is becoming more multicultural, so administrators created the website to make the university's webpage more accessible to potential students and parents who are native Spanish speakers.

"I think it's an excellent first step in terms of meeting the needs of people in other cultures," Robinson said.

Although Chinese and Indian students account for the greatest percentage of international applications, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States, and there are many native speakers at the university, Robinson said.

The university's student body hails from 105 different countries. In 2011, the university received 1,419 international applications, 837 of which were for the English Language Institute, a separate school that helps students develop language skills.

Robinson said the Spanish website could also strengthen the university's recent increase in partnerships with the Spanish-speaking world.  In August, professors and alumni from the university's music department traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, to perform a concert funded by the Institute for Global Studies.

The university also offers study abroad and exchange programs in nine Spanish-speaking countries, such as the Costa Rica First Year Experience, a new study abroad program enacted this semester, for freshmen during winter session.

The College of Engineering holds partnerships with 11 Colombian universities, and receives approximately 100 applications a year for graduate programs from the country.

Freshman Kervin Zamora, who is a public policy major, said he experienced some of the difficulties of applying to the university as a native Spanish speaker.

Zamora, originally from Honduras, went to a private boarding school in Middletown, Del., for four years, where he learned how to speak English. However, his parents only speak Spanish, which complicates their understanding of the university's website.

"For me, I can handle it, but my parents can't even read the comments my professors make," Zamora said.

He said the website will be helpful for prospective students in the future.

"In the U.S. now, there are more Rodriguezes and Garcias than Browns and Millers— there are a lot of Latin American students out there," Zamora said.