Hello,
With conferences coming up next week, I have attached “7 Helpful tips to work effectively with an interpreter”(At the bottom of this post). This is to help everyone since we all need a refresher. I know even with all my experience it is still difficult for me to talk directly to the parent (not the interpreter) and to talk in shorter sentences and pausing frequently so the interpreter can interpret every thing that I say. Conferences are a great time to communicate with our families, however with our interpreted conferences, in reality we only have half the time to talk with our parents AND answer any questions that they have. Remember they are hearing every thing 2 times in English and their native language.
A difference between an interpreter and liasion is important to know. An interpreter’s job is to interpret what the speaker says, a liasion’s job is to interpret and to help the parent understand what is being said. A liasion is “allowed” to add extra clarification without parent prompting, an interpreter is to relay the message, not add his or her own comments. An interpreter is a neutral person in the conversation, a liasion is an advocate for the parent and family.
If you have more questions about interpreters or conferences please ask me.