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      Strategies for Adults Gifted with Multi-lingualism

      Multilingualism and multiculturalism are assets in the classroom and beyond. This document lists strategies other multilingual adults have leveraged to be successful in their collegiate journey. We encourage all candidates to advocate for their needs

      Recommended Strategies

      • Attend/request Office hours with faculty 
        • Times are usually listed on the syllabus or announced in class; if you are unsure, please inquire with the instructor
      • Turn on Zoom’s real-time live captioning (subtitles) – see images below
      • Turn on Zoom’s summary or transcription – see images below

      Zoom Meeting using the Zoom Desktop application

      1. Click the Show Captions button at the bottom of your Zoom meeting window. This action enables in-meeting captioning
      2. Click the upward arrow character and select Speaking language to select your caption/transcript language
      3. Click the upward arrow character and select Full Transcript
        This action enables the full transcript in the in-meeting side panel

      Other Optional Strategies

      We trust you to try out and improve these strategies:

      • Take the time to connect with your professor to let them know that you are multilingual and need their support in the form of:
        • concrete examples 
        • visuals
        • written instruction
        • earlier access to readings or assignments
        • recordings of the class to watch later or copies of any documents or slides
        • requesting videos or readings in your preferred language
      • Meeting with your advisor 1:1 to brainstorm other strategies specific to your needs
      • Connecting with peers in the class who may be interested in a study group – especially if the peer is also multilingual 
      • Research and connect with local multilingual support resources in your community. Examples may be a public library, language teachers in your school or district, a community center, or a local community college 
      • FREE tutoring services: Tutor.com accessed through your Canvas
      • Translation services – often free online