00;00;00;09 - 00;00;18;49
Dawn Flanigan
Today we're going to talk about something that affects millions of people in America. We're going to talk about foreign language interpreting in schools. And today I have with me an interpreter who has worked in many areas. But education is definitely one of them. So this is Claudia.

00;00;18;58 - 00;00;32;05
Claudia Boyer
Hello, everyone. My name is Claudia Boyer. I've been an interpreter for almost ten years with Global Interpreting Services. I hold a national accreditation from CCHI, and I am a Spanish interpreter.

00;00;32;10 - 00;00;59;32
Dawn Flanigan
Thank you for being with us today. We truly appreciate it and all of the knowledge that you're going to bring to us. So when you're working in a school, let's just start out with the basics, like where are some areas that families are going to have a difficult time understanding. And so why schools should provide an interpreter for them in different areas. Where should an interpreter be provided by a school and why?

00;00;59;37 - 00;01;35;43
Claudia Boyer
Well, an interpreter should be provided once it's localized that the parents do not speak the language, in this case English. They also need to understand the American school system because coming from different countries, their school system may be different from the one we have in this country. So it's going to be a lot of misunderstandings, especially when some parents speak broken English and they may think they're understanding the message and it can be a lot of misunderstandings. So that's when a interpreter should be provided.

00;01;35;51 - 00;01;41;31
Dawn Flanigan
That's a really good point. Even though they're speaking of broken English, that doesn't mean that they're fluent in the language.

00;01;41;33 - 00;01;42;00
Claudia Boyer
Exactly.

00;01;42;02 - 00;01;56;40
Dawn Flanigan
And they're just kind of playing a guessing game. And so this would be important for IEPs, conferences. Can you think of other areas that, you know, should we provide translation services for anything? You know, what should they do?

00;01;56;54 - 00;02;28;32
Claudia Boyer
Yeah. Sometimes, you know, like when they have to have a school report, I don't know if that will be the best way to have a translation service over there, but when it's something going on, let's say a child got in trouble and the parents need to come to the office. Perhaps if it's a report, specific report, or something that happened, perhaps something over there can be a translated document. And obviously we have an interpreter on site to explain the situation.

00;02;28;37 - 00;02;41;53
Dawn Flanigan
And do you see a lot of cultural issues when it comes to behavior problems in a school? If a child gets in trouble? Have you seen like, that It's a cultural issue and not necessarily, you know, a behavior issue?

00;02;41;58 - 00;03;17;31
Claudia Boyer
Definitely, yes. Sometimes even simple words, a child can take it personal. And in this country it can be something normal to say in the everyday without being offensive. And sometimes the interaction between parents and the staff, the teacher, the principal can be slightly different from the way that they address it in their own country. And sometimes, again, if it's not an interpreter on site to explain not only the language but the cultural differences, you know, can be a lot of misunderstandings.

00;03;17;36 - 00;03;30;13
Dawn Flanigan
So I want to talk about interpreting in general, does interpreting help build a trust between the English speaker and them, and how do you help make that happen?

00;03;30;18 - 00;04;44;25
Claudia Boyer
Yeah, I always say, like specifically in every setting, you have to gain the... the client or the patient's trust. It is imperative. Otherwise you don't have a connection with the interpreter. And sometimes, like in medical settings, if the patient is not being truly comfortable with the interpreter, it could be some problems. Even with the rendition, if the patient is not fully being honest with the provider. So like I always said, like going to a psychiatric hospitals, if you don't try to make that trust connection with the patient, it's going to be a big issue moving forward with the stay of the patient at the hospital and in every setting. We have to come and introduce ourselves, be kind, respectful and friendly if possible. Recommended. And make sure that you know what everything is going to be private. Everything is confidential. So the patient or the client in this case feels more comfortable and it's easier to have a conversation once they open up.

00;04;44;32 - 00;05;21;03
Dawn Flanigan
So in schools, confidentiality is so important because we're dealing with children. And that's one of the top things on an educators radar is, “Is this going to be confidential.” You're dealing with an IEP, which is a legal document. You're dealing with perhaps a counselor, because something's going on that's affecting them at school. And so they want to talk to the family. Can you talk about confidentiality and how important that is to you and should be to all interpreters and try to put school systems at ease about having another person involved in a situation?

00;05;21;05 - 00;05;59;39
Claudia Boyer
Definitely, yes. This is a code of honor to respect. In this case we're talking about a minor. So you have to be always aware and be very conscious that you are dealing with very personal issues. You know, that could be the child's behavior, could be their progress in school. So it's a code of honor as an interpreter to keep everything confidential and just keep it between the parties that are discussing the issues. Things are can be very sensitive. So it is important.

00;05;59;53 - 00;06;16;51
Dawn Flanigan
And for interpreters, do you feel that it's important to keep that, that space boundary, that conflict of interest, if they know the family, should they or should they not interpret in such, you know, intimate settings.

00;06;16;56 - 00;07;29;39
Claudia Boyer
An interpreter should abstain from interpreting to a friend to a family member because you're not being completely honest. I mean, it could be some conflict of, “I don't want to hurt this person's feelings.” Yes, I mean, those simple things, they come in a school setting as well as in medical field. That's what this is the reason why the system don't allow friends or family members to do the rendition, because number one, they cannot be familiar with the vocabulary. Number two, sometimes they can keep things to themselves, thinking, well, I may hurt their feelings. This may not be important, but that is not for the family member to decide. This is why a third party, something that is neutral, is going to come, which is interpreter. And you know, just be honest and you got to keep everything honest. You have to be thorough and everything has got to be clear.

00;07;29;44 - 00;07;34;46
Dawn Flanigan
So it would not be in the best interest of a school to use the child as an interpreter?

00;07;34;48 - 00;07;36;45
Claudia Boyer
Absolutely not.

00;07;36;50 - 00;07;48;04
Dawn Flanigan
Can you think of anything, any instance where using a child as an interpreter would really be the wrong... the wrong decision. Can you think of anything that a child might do?

00;07;48;16 - 00;08;05;29
Claudia Boyer
Well it’s not ethical. A child, number one, is not trained, it's not fully developed. And the child itself can be very confused. Or let's say the child doesn't want to get in trouble, may not fully interpret everything that is being said.

00;08;05;34 - 00;08;23;16
Dawn Flanigan
Correct. Yeah. And so let's, let's go one step further. Let's say they're having some problems in school. They don't want mom or dad to know, but the note that sent home in English explains the problems, and the parents asked the child to read it to them. I can see a conflict here. Can you?

00;08;23;25 - 00;08;47;31
Claudia Boyer
Yes. This is why, coming back to what we were discussing earlier regarding translating documents and in this case, a clear case of having some document, professionally translated so the parents know exactly what's going on, the communication between school and parents got to be clear. We cannot leave it up to the child that doesn't want to get in trouble.

00;08;47;36 - 00;08;51;36
Dawn Flanigan
Correct. “Oh, I have all A’s.”

00;08;51;36 - 00;09;05;00
Claudia Boyer
So you know what? I was running and being disruptive in class, but no, no, that didn't happen. You know, this document, this paper they sent you. You know, it's irrelevant. Mom, don't don't worry about it.

00;09;05;03 - 00;09;06;15
Dawn Flanigan
It says on being good.

00;09;06;17 - 00;09;10;38
Claudia Boyer
Exactly. I am very friendly.

00;09;10;43 - 00;09;22;38
Dawn Flanigan
When it comes to interpreting in school. Can you see any area that would not benefit from having an interpreter or a translated document?

00;09;22;43 - 00;09;56;12
Claudia Boyer
I would say no. You know, when parents that are not native to the language, to the country, again, they're not familiar with the system. And I will say, no, definitely they will have to have the help of a professional to come and explain everything. They come from different backgrounds saying different systems, so they need to get acquainted to our system and to have a clear communication. So I would say no, definitely interpreters are needed.

00;09;56;14 - 00;10;16;13
Dawn Flanigan
And when it comes to an IEP, let's say someone has a special needs child. And they’re foreign language, how important do you believe an interpreter is? I mean, they don't have the same systems at home, so they may not know what we offer in school. I mean, do you feel that that's, you know, accurate?

00;10;16;18 - 00;10;50;33
Claudia Boyer
Yes. And coming to IEP, many countries don't even offer this kind of help in school. A child may be put in a category of, you know, he's not as smart or she's not as smart. Or you know, they're just acting out. So this is why, coming back, I said it is important to have an interpreter. They can get educated. The parent can get educated and acquainted to the system, and they can clarify to them that we have all this resources to help their child.

00;10;50;37 - 00;11;00;45
Dawn Flanigan
And what if the child doesn't speak English? Do you think that it's effective to have an interpreter with them all day until they get better English skills?

00;11;00;50 - 00;11;17;19
Claudia Boyer
This is a tricky question, because an interpreter could come in handy to help others, but usually little ones pick up the language really fast, so an interpreter could be utilized.

00;11;17;24 - 00;11;19;08
Dawn Flanigan
Like maybe with older children?

00;11;19;08 - 00;11;21;27
Claudia Boyer
With older children specifically, yes.

00;11;21;30 - 00;11;21;49
Dawn Flanigan
Okay.

00;11;21;51 - 00;12;07;38
Claudia Boyer
Yes, because the little ones tend to pick up the language really fast. But with older children, I've been in situations where I'm interpreting for a 15 year old and I asked, for how long have you been in the country? And they can tell me three years. And I wonder, why haven't you pick up the language yet? And they will explain to me. “Well, my classes are in Spanish,” for instance, and it's disappointing because it's not. It's a disservice to the child. They're not being fully integrated to the language, to the country, to the system. So in this case, I will say it is it is very important to have the help of a professional, in this case us interpreters,

00;12;07;43 - 00;12;15;38
Dawn Flanigan
Interpreters, will they be able to help children acclimate to the country? Will they explain cultural differences?

00;12;15;40 - 00;12;33;49
Claudia Boyer
Definitely yeah. Because you know what you mentioned right now cultural differences. It is very important. So a child is coming here confused, being thrown into the system. And a professional interpreter should come and make come very handy.

00;12;33;54 - 00;12;57;16
Dawn Flanigan
I could just imagine the differences of culture could create a problem between two children even, you know, if they don't know where each one's background is coming from, that there could be issues. Can you think of any issues that you've seen over the years in a school setting, that an interpreter has either had to come in or has made a difference, or you yourself have made a difference?

00;12;57;19 - 00;13;28;42
Claudia Boyer
I sure hope that I have made a difference in somebody's life, especially a child. Yeah, just explaining how things could be offensive. Sometimes certain words, certain behaviors, and being there to put just a little bit of my part and being a clarifier, because not only you clarify the language, but also the cultural differences. So I sure hope that I have done make a difference in somebody's life.

00;13;28;47 - 00;13;37;49
Dawn Flanigan
If you could give one piece of advice to educators, to school systems with regards to multilingual families, what would that be?

00;13;37;51 - 00;14;21;05
Claudia Boyer
Well number one, have patience. I'm sure they can be frustrated and confusing and reach out to Global Interpreting. We’re here doing a little commercial. And you know you have to look for the best tools you can utilize to help build the bridges between the family, the child and the staff, you know, teachers and all the educators. So hire an interpreter. We come in handy and I promise. We're going to make your life a lot easier, and we're going to be there to clarify not only the language, but the cultural differences.

00;14;21;09 - 00;14;40;32
Dawn Flanigan
Do you believe that adding an interpreter to a meeting will extend the meeting a long time, or do you believe that it'll make the meeting go, you know, about the same amount of time, if it were an English speaking person in the meeting, because you're able to... to interpret those things and, and clarify things.

00;14;40;37 - 00;15;36;04
Claudia Boyer
Could be a little longer. I would not say it's going to extend a whole lot. You know, sometimes even the the staff is curious, curious about the culture. And I've been in meetings where, for example, it will come a teacher or the principal and they will say, you know, we're so proud of your child, and we just have had this child for three months and already picked up the language. He or she is such a good student. So those little small talks may not come, you know, for a regular English speakers, but because it's a different situation, perhaps they go, it may go a little longer. I won't say that it's going to extend due to the difference of language, but sometimes, you know, the staff can come and say something kind to the family. So yeah.

00;15;36;16 - 00;15;45;44
Dawn Flanigan
And all of that is so important in creating trust in the team. You know, and do you believe that the interpreter is truly a part of the educational team?

00;15;45;54 - 00;16;00;09
Claudia Boyer
Definitely. Yes. Yes, of course. Because as I explained, you know, it's not only just to bridge the gap between languages, but it's also sometimes educating the different cultures, of course.

00;16;00;12 - 00;16;38;38
Dawn Flanigan
So it's important to provide translation of documents. And that could be report cards progress reports. Definitely an IEP. Since it's technically a legal document, it's important to provide an interpreter for meetings so that the school district can create trust and confidence in what's happening with the family. It's important to understand that even if someone speaks broken English, they probably don't fully understand and comprehend what is being said because they only know this much of the language.

00;16;38;43 - 00;17;07;40
Dawn Flanigan
It is important to use a third party who is unbiased, not a party to anything to interpret because friends or family or children can skew the interpreting to benefit them or to control the situation. And we definitely want, you know, the non-English speakers to control their own situation and make decisions for themselves about their children and the education.

00;17;07;45 - 00;17;10;35
Dawn Flanigan
Is there anything that I need to add to any of that?

00;17;10;38 - 00;17;13;35
Claudia Boyer
I think you cover everything. That was well said.

00;17;13;50 - 00;17;46;55
Dawn Flanigan
Thank you. Well, thank you so much for being here with us today, Claudia, and helping explain some of these differences. And thank you everyone for watching our podcast today, Terp Talk. We are so glad that you did. Be sure to comment, like, share, follow and look for our other social media platforms and join us there for other tidbits of information from both Claudia and I about interpreting an educational settings. Thank you so much.

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Claudia Boyer
Thank you.