This presentation was prepared for two school Districts in Oregon. Recently, some Oregon school districts have made the news because they have had multiple Title VI complaints. The language access principles presented here should help school districts implement policies that enable them to use their funds effectively and avoid these problems. Schools base their language [...]
When an interpreter wonders what is holding them back from making progress, it can be useful to analyze the language proficiency skills in detail. Gaucha Translations proctors tests for spoken languages on the ACTFL scale by Language Testing International so interpreters and translators can analyze their strengths and weaknesses and determine how to make progress [...]
How did I start interpreting? Years ago, I was on a ship. I was thoroughly bilingual in all four skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. I had gone to med school for a couple of years, gone to secretarial school for a year, graduated from college in Argentina as an elementary school teacher, and I [...]
In our January 2015 class in Woodburn, Oregon, one of the students had an unusual background. This is the story of a professional Mexican nurse who came to the United States to take care of the health of her child in 1989. We had questions. What training do Mexican nurses receive? How did she navigate [...]
Working with professional interpreters saves time… and money! How much time do patients spend in the Emergency Room? The following chart compares how much time they spend there with different types of language assistance. Telephonic interpreters: 141 minutes Bilingual provider: 153 minutes In-person interpreter: 116 minutes. The in-person interpreter is the clear winner. Having interpreted [...]
These tools give you a way to self-evaluate your language proficiency. This link, from the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, has the option to click on different languages on the left, and on the different skills (speaking, writing, listening and reading) on the top. As you see the samples matched with the description for each level, you [...]
For interpreters, improving our memory is important! We have to remember what we hear so we can interpret it. This blog post mentions quite a few important topics: A good night’s sleep Exercise Spending time with friends Having fun Not stressing out too much Eating the right things (wine, but not too much!) Brain workouts [...]
On April 16 three OSTI interpreters interpreted for Dr. Rigoberta Menchu at Portland Public Schools. What was so cool about this? I had been in Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador back in 1987, one year after the Civil War officially ended in Guatemala. I remembered the trucks running around with military weapons in “democratic” El [...]
National Council on Interpreting in Health Care, Standards of Practice 20 and 21: The Interpreter is prepared for all assignments The interpreter discloses skill limitations with respect to particular assignments What information do interpreters need? How is it possible disclose skill limitations to decline an appointment, for example, without knowing the nature of an assignment [...]
As interpreters, we are constantly learning. We learn from every encounter we have every day. However, it is so easy to get carried away and discuss things in a subjective way! As interpreters, we interpret messages delivered from one person to another, and the interpersonal issues sometimes… Our ASL (American Sign Language) colleagues have developed [...]
