Centros
Centro de Estudios Bilingües
The Center for Bilingual Studies (CBS) at UTRGV is an interdisciplinary unit that collaborates with faculty from various colleges across the university to support bilingual families and communities. CBS is part of the B3 Institute and focuses on research and program development related to bilingualism and bilingual education. Directed by Professor Dra. J. Joy Esquierdo and Associate Director Dr. Alex Stehn, CBS engages with the local community and schools to advocate for dual language programs in South Texas. Additionally, CBS partners with non-profit organizations to plan parent conferences, collect oral histories, support local school districts, and provide professional development.
Established in Fall 2012, CBS later became one of the three centers under the B3 Institute, along with the Center for Mexican American Studies and Translation & Interpreting Office. CBS has two major goals: 1) engaging families, students, and communities on issues important to bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism, and 2) collaborating on research projects focused on Latinx communities. UTRGV students can also join the Bilingual Education Student Organization (BESO) to further support bilingualism and biliteracy.
Centro de Estudios Mexicoamericanos
The Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) at UTRGV is a hub for research and creative works focusing on the political, artistic, cultural, social, and economic conditions and contributions of Mexican Americans. With an emphasis on social justice, CMAS supports Mexican American Studies majors, minors, and graduate students, as well as faculty and community engagement in the field.
One of the student organizations associated with CMAS is La Unión Chicanx Hijxs de Aztlán (LUCHA), which advocates for the advancement of nuestra raza and all other cultures while promoting Chicanismx. LUCHA fosters a strong sense of familia and empowers students to create change in their communities.
CMAS is dedicated to helping students and faculty identify resources for their research and creative work, providing limited funding for conference travel, research assistance, and mentoring in grant applications. The Center also connects the community with researchers and artists on campus working in the fields of Mexican American Studies.
Committed to honoring the knowledge in communities, CMAS engages in programming, outreach, collaborative projects, and partnerships with community members and organizations. To discuss potential collaborations, please contact CMAS directly.
Oficina de Traducción e Interpretación (T&IO)
The Translation and Interpreting Office (T&iO) at UTRGV serves the university's divisions, units, and departments by providing high-quality translation and interpreting services to meet the expectations of a bilingual higher-education institution. T&iO translates all UTRGV institutional materials, including website content, regulatory documentation, advertising and marketing materials, and content developed by any university departments, offices, divisions, centers, and colleges. They also provide writing, editing, and proofing services in Spanish, and interpreting services in English and Spanish for various events.T&iO's vision is to become a key player in UTRGV's strategic goal of becoming a bilingual university in every language-related aspect, such as translating, interpreting, publishing, and terminology/language planning. They aim to be a reference hub for translation services within the UT System and to develop partnerships with the private sector, providing hands-on opportunities for UTRGV's graduate and undergraduate students.
Services offered by T&iO include translation and interpreting services for UTRGV and third parties associated with the institution. They provide personalized translation services for the larger RGV community, private businesses, non-profits, and community members who require translations from and to English and Spanish languages at standard market rates. T&iO also offers various interpreting services, such as short consecutive interpreting, long consecutive interpreting, and simultaneous interpreting, using top-of-the-line equipment to ensure proper service.
Translation and interpreting services for UTRGV are typically free of charge, while services for non-UTRGV clients are budgeted on the basis of standard market rates and availability. Visit their Policy page for more information about interpreting modalities and their respective rates.