[Genealib] French/English speaking researchers?

[Sandra]

Have you found anyone to work with this patron? I would be willing to try as I can speak and understand French. I don't write as good as I want to but can make myself understood to all of my French cousins. What name is he looking for and what years? 
Thank you.
Sandra Yorkell-Parker
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Devine, Kathryn 
  To: genealib at mailman.acomp.usf.edu 
  Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 11:17 AM
  Subject: [Genealib] French/English speaking researchers?


  I'm looking for anyone who could possibly help a long-distance patron of ours. There seem to be two basic problems. 1) His first language is French and he lives in Quebec, 2) He doesn't seem to be an experienced genealogist. 

   

  He is doing research on people who settled in the state of Washington, specifically around Tacoma. He has emailed the librarians here at the Washington State Library probably a dozen times and the language barrier has been extreme. He has been asking for resources that we do not have, or for sources that do not have the information he wants. For example he seems to think a marriage index will tell him where a person was born and who his parents were.

   

  Several librarians on staff here have tried to help him with his questions, but most of the time we just don't have the resources (marriage records, county level records, etc-which are located in the state archives).  Or he doesn't understand the types of information that our resources will give him. We have referred him several times to the Archives, but something seems to get lost in the translation because he keeps writing back to us. 

   

  I have even tried using online translation tools-limited as those are-to respond to him in both English and French. But it doesn't seem to be working all that well. I am going to suggest that he try to find a volunteer or hire a professional researcher who speaks both English and French who can better explain what's available, where it's available, and what kind of information is available. 

   

  Does anyone on the list know of a researcher or volunteer who is fluent in both French and English, preferably with research experience in the Pacific Northwest? I tried a search on APG but have not had much luck.

   

  Thanks,

  Kathryn Devine

  Genealogy Reference Librarian

  Washington State Library 



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