By Nelsinia Wroblewski

Parent Center's Policies mandate the delivering of services to the most underserved families in a fair and equitable way. Recognizing and responding to cultural and linguistic diversity is a key to ensure the provision of oral information necessary to enable limited or no-English proficiency families to access programs or services offered by Parent Centers.

As (we) continue developing policies for language access and cultural competency, we would like to present some facts and tips to increase the knowledge and enhance the capacity of Parent Center's staff to interact effectively with families from all backgrounds when using the services of Interpreters and Translators.

FACT #1-Interpreter vs. Translator: An "interpreter" uses speech or sign language to convert one language into a different language. A "translator" converts one language into another language through the written word (Castro, Ayankoya, & Kasprzak, 2010).

People often use the terms "interpreter" and "translator" interchangeably but they mean two different things and require very different skills. Individuals who are bilingual and bicultural, with training, may be excellent interpreters because they are verbally proficient in both languages being used. However, those same individuals may not be equally proficient in the written expression of both languages. In other words, speaking and listening proficiency does not guarantee writing proficiency in both languages. In fact, writing well is often more difficult than speaking well in another language. Accurately translating the written word requires a high degree of academic proficiency in written language.

FACT #2-In addition to interpreting spoken language, interpreters act as cultural mediators or cultural "bridges".

Language conveys more than mere words or grammatical structures. In fact, language cannot be separated from culture (Genesee, Paradis, Crago, 2011). People learn about their world through culture and culture is expressed through language. Expectations and rules for communicating with others are highly influenced by culture although these rules are often unspoken (Castro, et al, 2010). This means that misunderstandings and miscommunications can most easily occur between individuals of different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Ideally, the interpreter is skilled in the communication styles and language forms of both languages so that miscommunications are minimized. Explaining and clarifying cultural differences and "gaps" is a large part of an interpreter's role during communications with families, practitioners, and agencies.

TIP #1-It is best to utilize an interpreter who is proficient in both languages AND has experience in cross-cultural communication" (Castro, et al, 2010).

It is essential that an interpreter be bilingual; however being bilingual does not guarantee that a person will make a good interpreter (Castro, et al, 2010). To be truly effective, an interpreter needs to understand the cultural nuances of both language groups in order to communicate the intended meanings of each person's spoken words. Depending on the language used, it may take fewer or more words to interpret intended meanings. Individuals with only a few courses in another language are rarely able to effectively and accurately interpret communications with families. By the same token, it is not considered good practice to use children of any age to interpret for their families-often children do not have the maturity to understand or convey the meaning of the concepts being discussed (Castro, et al, 2010). In addition, using children to interpret for their parents places too much responsibility on the child, and can seriously disrupt family dynamics (Castro, et al, 2010).

 TIP #2-It is important to meet with interpreters before formally meeting with parents or caregivers.

Interpreters need time to become familiar with you, your program and any terminology specific to your services (Castro, et al, 2010). Often specialized terms cannot be interpreted literally. Sometimes terminology or concepts that you wish to convey may not even exist in the other language. Interpreters need time to understand what your program or services are about so that they can formulate accurate meaning(s) for your terminology into the other language and culture. It is also important to meet with interpreters beforehand to review the purpose for the meeting and the expected roles and guidelines for the interpretation process (Castro, et al, 2010).

TIP #3-Establishing guidelines for the interpretation process can help ensure more accurate and effective communication.

Parent Centers might consider developing written guidelines that explicitly state the roles and expectations for both interpreters and participants especially during IEP meetings, home visits, and the delivery of training to children and families. The roles of interpreters may vary depending on differing circumstances. So it is important for programs to clearly state whether or not they expect the interpreter to assume an advocate role during the interpretation process. Whatever role expectations are stated, it should also be clear that everything that is said during IEP meetings, home visits, and training sessions is interpreted --including side conversations--so that no one is "left in the dark". Sometimes parents may need to discuss or process information with each other privately in order to make decisions. In this case, the interpreter should simply inform the IEP team of what is happening and not interpret the parents' private conversation with each other.

Reference: Facts and Tips

Curriculum and Assessment: Serving Dual Language Learners

Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborative Partners