TIPS ON HOW TO USE AN INTERPRETER
This is a friendly message to remind you about all those small components that make an interpreting session a great experience for you and parents during P/T Conference Day, open house and other conference times. Many of you know what to expect, but for those who never experienced it, this can be a very rewarding day in terms of getting to know your student’s families. All our interpreters (professionals or volunteers) will follow these rules:
1) You and the interpreter will set the ground rules with parents and others before the interpreting starts by reviewing the following:
The interpreter will repeat everything you say, the way you say it, without omitting, adding or changing anything you say.
Please look at the parent/teacher directly when talking, the conversation is with them, not the interpreter.
If the interpreter raises their hand, please pause so they can repeat everything that is being said or clarify a term that is not understood
Remember everything said in this session is confidential
2) The interpreter will sit near the parent and may not look at you when interpreting. Please, do not insist on seating the interpreter with you, since this may discourage parents to initiate dialog.
This could be the very first conference for the family in this school.
3) Use simple terminology and summarize information with enough detail to convey your message, this will help the interpreter’s job.
4) In the Latino culture one very important question that parents have for the teacher is:
“How is my child behaving?”
The concept of an “educated/well behaved” child describes a child with good
manners, polite to others, and that observes good hygiene and dresses accordingly,
meanwhile, in the American culture, it refers to a successful child who has
accomplished most of the academic goals.
5) Parent-Teacher Conference Day or open house is not a day to discuss big issues about the student. If you have serious problems to discuss, please make sure to arrange another date to meet with the family and a professional interpreter.
6) Please, keep in mind that all families have the right to spend time with the teachers they came to visit, so please make sure that everyone has time to conference.
Click Here to complete form acknowledging you have reviewed the Interpretation and Translation Services for Waynesboro Public Schools.
This is a friendly message to remind you about all those small components that make an interpreting session a great experience for you and parents during P/T Conference Day, open house and other conference times. Many of you know what to expect, but for those who never experienced it, this can be a very rewarding day in terms of getting to know your student’s families. All our interpreters (professionals or volunteers) will follow these rules:
1) You and the interpreter will set the ground rules with parents and others before the interpreting starts by reviewing the following:
The interpreter will repeat everything you say, the way you say it, without omitting, adding or changing anything you say.
Please look at the parent/teacher directly when talking, the conversation is with them, not the interpreter.
If the interpreter raises their hand, please pause so they can repeat everything that is being said or clarify a term that is not understood
Remember everything said in this session is confidential
2) The interpreter will sit near the parent and may not look at you when interpreting. Please, do not insist on seating the interpreter with you, since this may discourage parents to initiate dialog.
This could be the very first conference for the family in this school.
3) Use simple terminology and summarize information with enough detail to convey your message, this will help the interpreter’s job.
4) In the Latino culture one very important question that parents have for the teacher is:
“How is my child behaving?”
The concept of an “educated/well behaved” child describes a child with good
manners, polite to others, and that observes good hygiene and dresses accordingly,
meanwhile, in the American culture, it refers to a successful child who has
accomplished most of the academic goals.
5) Parent-Teacher Conference Day or open house is not a day to discuss big issues about the student. If you have serious problems to discuss, please make sure to arrange another date to meet with the family and a professional interpreter.
6) Please, keep in mind that all families have the right to spend time with the teachers they came to visit, so please make sure that everyone has time to conference.
Click Here to complete form acknowledging you have reviewed the Interpretation and Translation Services for Waynesboro Public Schools.