Viva Polk magazine makes transition to being bilingual

LAKELAND, Fla. — Viva Polk magazine is giving readers the opportunity to learn English through its pages. This year, the magazine made the transition to become a bilingual magazine, while still preserving Spanish stories.

Teresa Martinez is an educator at heart. That passion to teach is evident within the pages of her magazine, Viva Polk.

As the editor-in-chief and publisher, she says the magazine is a source of education for many.

“An informed community is an educated community; it is a better community,“ she said.

The first edition was printed in 2019. She says the magazine shares the stories of Hispanics in Polk County.

Originally, it was tailored to the Spanish speaking community. 

They recently made a change, though. The free magazine now offers readers two versions of the same article — they appear side by side.

Martinez says it’s a way to immerse more readers in a new language — either English or Spanish.

And it takes a lot of time to get it done. “We start working on the next issue as soon as one comes out because we put a lot of love into it and a lot of thought.”

She says it can’t be done without a team. Michelle Peña Shoe is the graphic designer for the magazine. She says the switch has been positively received by the community. “When we publish in two languages, we are addressing and uniting the community,” she said.

Martinez believes her magazine is helping preserve her native language, while introducing others to a new one. “This is my legacy to Polk County,” she said.

Bridging language barriers, so that more people are inspired to learn.