LITTLE ROCK — A donation from IBM is now allowing parents with limited English skills to communicate with their children's teachers through a new online translation program.

"Tradúcelo Now," a program available in about 270 schools in Arkansas, enables translations of web pages and e-mails from English into Spanish and vice versa.

The program removes the language barrier between teachers, parents and students by allowing users to translate emails into their native language. An email sent in English can be translated into Spanish. When someone replied in Spanish, this will be translated into English.

The translations are not perfect but at least convey the idea and this is already a great help.

With " Tradúcelo Now:"

• Parents can communicate with teachers of their children.
• Schools can all communicate with their students and their families.
• Doctors and patients can share information related to medicine and appointments
• People who are looking for work can find jobs available in their language.

Since the schools have already partnered with Tradúcelo Now, limited English-speaking parents need only to register with an authorized email account created by the public schools, use a computer with Internet access and sign up at the Tradúcelo Now online portal.

The School District of North Little Rock recently joined the IBM system translator, said Maria Touchstone, its director of educational programs for English as a second language ESL.

"We hope that the translation service will help us to keep us better informed and involved with children's education," said Maria.