At Swarthmore, Students Can Graduate En Espanol

PHILADELPHIA - Swarthmore College is translating its commencement into espanol (es-pan-YOHL') for Spanish-speaking friends and relatives of Latino students.

Wireless headsets will be available at Sunday's ceremony so visitors can hear a simultaneous interpretation.

Many universities offer sign-language translations of their graduations for the hard of hearing. Some colleges hold secondary ceremonies for Latinos after the main commencement.

But Hispanic advocacy groups say Swarthmore's live Spanish translation is an unusual and welcome development for the nation's growing demographic of Latino students.

Swarthmore is an elite private institution near Philadelphia with about 1,500 students.