Hola Language Services

Please join me at CABE 2019! I will be presenting "The Pillars of Comprehensive, Competent Language Access", on Friday, March 21 from 10:30 to 11:45 AM at the Westin, Long Beach. Please sign up for the workshop: https://lnkd.in/gNnzzhE

Oh boy, I'm sure school interpreters/translators can tell a few stories....

¡NO SE LO PIERDAN! Noche de orientación para los alumnos de octavo grado (que ingresarán a San Marcos High School el próximo año) y sus padres el 14 de marzo, 2019.

ARE DISTRICT TRANSLATORS PART OF THE SOLUTION OR PART OF THE PROBLEM? District translators throughout California are being told by their administrator to use the Spanish terms used in California Department of Education's translations, whether or not they are correct. Please share your thoughts on this topic. If you believe that we shouldn't be perpetuating incorrect Spanish, what do you suggest we do about it?

If you're on Linkedin, please check out the District and School Translators & Interpreters Group!

HOW TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH AN INTERPRETER AT IEP MEETINGS!

Guess how many hours of training a person has to have to cut your hair in California? A minimum of 1800 hours! Now guess how many hours of training does a person need to interpret an IEP, SARB, P/T conference, expulsion hearing, board meeting and other important educational meeting? NONE!!!!

If you're a school interpreter/translator, I want YOUR input. I would like to give a copy of this doc to ALL school staff!

Translation & Interpretation (T&I) Considerations for School Staff 1) There are many different levels of being bilingual. Keep this in mind when assigning a T&I assignment to bilingual staff members. ... Level 1 Formal education in the non-English language equivalent to an association degree or above Level 2 Some formal education in the foreign language equivalent to high school or vocation preparation Level 3 Non-academic verbal fluency and written skills Level 4 Informal acquisition of foreign language. 2) Being bilingual does not make you a translator/interpreter; that expertise requires training. Especially when interpreting IEPs, SARBs, Expulsion Hearings, SSTs, and any meeting with an advocate/lawyer, interpreters need training in: Standards of professional conduct for interpreters Context-specific vocabulary Different modes of interpreting (simultaneous, consecutive & sight translation) 3) Good interpretation is a TEAM effort, not the sole responsibility of the translator/interpreter. Staff should be trained to work with interpreters to achieve meaningful communication with parents 4) A trained translator does not change the level (register) of a letter or flyer. A translator can choose for an array of less complicated word choices, if possible, but changing the entire register will make him the author of that document, not the translator. In other words, it’s the author’s job to convey his message in a parent-friendly manner. 5) Translators/Interpreters need on-going training in topics such as: Grammar, spelling, composition Simultaneous, consecutive & sight translation Computer skills Context-specific vocabulary

The first graduates, and new friends, of MiraCosta's Community Translation course. ¡ENHORABUENA!

The Interpreting IEP Meetings workshop I delivered the past two days was super hot! Not only because of the 102 degree weather in Sacramento, but because SJUSD's bilingual staff were so engaged and interested in become better interpreters. Kudos to Martha Quadros, administrator, for providing this opportunity. It shows a great interest in improving communication with non-English speaking parents!

I had the most wonderful time presenting at the CABE Regional Conference in Riverside, and it is completely due to the participants strong interest in interpreting issues in K-12 settings. They gave me the energy to continue working on building awareness of the need to improve interpreting services in schools. Thank you, Riverside! By the way, downtown Riverside (Mission Inn) is absolutely beautiful.