Considerations When Working with Interpreters

Abstract

With the U.S. population becoming increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse, more and more professionals, such as speech—language pathologists, need to rely on the services of interpreters. Many interpreters have received little or no training, and certification or continuing education activities are often nonexistent. The brief training that is provided comes from a mainstream perspective designed to promote the employer's goals, and the interpreter's perspective is rarely considered. This article describes the current training and certification procedures in place for linguistic interpreters, the continuum of interpreter roles, and how interpreters' perspectives may influence the interpretive interaction.

Parent and teacher rating of bilingual language proficiency and language development concerns

“…The parents’ concept of normal linguistic development was much broader relative to that of the children’s teacher and educational program. Another example comes from ethnographic interviews about Southeast Asian parent and teacher perceptions of education and referrals to special education (Hwa-Froelich and Westby 2003). Teachers did not make special education referrals for children who were struggling in their classes because they believed the children needed more time to learn two languages and because they were well behaved.…”

Recommendations for Forensic Evaluators Conducting Interpreter-Mediated Interviews

“…However, it is important to consider that even this most passive style of interpretation is not a literal interpretation, but rather an idea-by-idea presentation of the speaker's message (Frankenthaler, 1981). Therefore, even under these conditions, an interpreter must operate along a continuum where at one endpoint, they act as a conduit and at the other they exercise more autonomy Hwa-Froelich & Westby, 2003).…”

Quality, qualifications, and the market: Procuring interpretation services in the context of the “refugee crisis”

“…In addition, personnel adopt a range of different roles when delivering a service. Taking the example of interpreters, in the course of providing interpretation, interpreters may adopt “many roles, including listener, speaker, gatekeeper, interviewer, social agent, and conversationalist” (Hwa‐Froelich & Westby, , p. 82). Against this background, skills in listening, understanding, memorising, mentally translating, and verbalising are crucial for providing good interpretation (Kornakov, , p. 246).…”