Search

This monograph reports on research carried out with 25 young Latino interpreters (high school students) who participated in a simulated interpretation task, part of a larger project that examined gifts and talents not generally identified, fostered in instruction, or positively evaluated in formal education. These bilingual adolescents had been selected from among their siblings to serve as interpreters for their families. The study first attempted to develop an instrument to identify the tacit knowledge of young interpreters, then went on to develop a role play situation to allow the observation of actual interpreting performance. The simulation involved a situation in which a mother, whose daughter had been accused of stealing, had been asked to meet with the principal. The script deliberately included a number of face threatening acts that tested students abilities to broker a tense and emotional exchange. Analysis revealed that the youngsters were able to demonstrate their ability to carry out the very complex task of interpreting under particularly stressful conditions. The study concluded that young interpreters exhibit at least some of the characteristics generally measured in prospective professional interpreters such as memory, analytical ability, speed of comprehension and production, and stress tolerance. (Contains approximately 280 references.) (DB)

This study examined the effectiveness, integrity, and acceptability of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation (CBC) with families and teachers of Hispanic children at risk for development of behavior problems. CBC is a four-step problem-solving approach (problem identification, problem analysis, treatment implementation, and treatment evaluation) that systematically promotes the active participation of parents in collaboration with school personnel. Seven children in a Tulsa (Oklahoma) Head Start program were subjects in an evaluation of the CBC process. Challenges encountered were related to participant recruitment, effective communication, scheduling and keeping appointments, following the CBC format, and data collection. Results indicated acceptability of interventions by parents and teachers, acceptability of the CBC process, greater treatment integrity by teachers than parents, and positive ratings for intervention effectiveness by both teachers and parents. The study concluded that CBC provides a viable option in service delivery when addressing the needs of preschool children of Hispanic heritage but offers recommendations concerning the need to emphasize a success orientation, data collection techniques, and the interpreter's role. (DB)

This final report describes the activities and outcomes of OPTICA (Our Path Together Initiating Cultural Access) programs. For each program an information sheet indicates the goal, total participation, status of the goal, and activities of the program. Programs included: (1) Hands On: ASL Creative Story Telling, a program that used children's books to introduce translating, to develop visual locations, and to show usage of classifiers, role shifting, visual description, gesture, mime, visual vernacular, and poetry; (2) Kids ASL Theater Camp, a program in which three teachers worked with children with and without deafness to teach them juggling, mime, body sox movement, and a skit; (3) media classes that developed a televised community forum called Ear News and produced programs on how to use an interpreter, accessible community events, and self help; (4) $1 Movie Nights that showed movies relating to individuals with deafness and empowerment; (5) ASL Performers, a program that showcased storytellers using American Sign Language; (6) Total Accommodations Cultural Access Tapes, a program in which students were assigned to produce one 30-second public service announcement; (7) the Opening Doors to Art/Culture/Heritage Options; and (8) the television show: Using an Interpreter: A Consumers Perspective," which reached approximately 280,000 households. (CR)

This article focuses on the problems of simultaneous translation (SI) of scientific discussion at the Conference on Training Translators and Interpreters in the New Millennium, the development of which greatly depends on extralinguistic, external conference conditions. Text linguistics considers text not only as a grammatical unit larger than a sentence but also and mainly as a semantic unit, as a conveyer of meaning. Discussion is a very special text type. Its peculiarities arise from its oral and immediate nature. It differs from purely scientific language (characteristically objective, dispassionate, and the result of prior deliberation) and ordinary dialogue (characteristically emotionally colored, spontaneous, and having elliptical phrases). To interpret, one must understand. The message the interpreter receives and that he or she must understand in order to reconstruct it in the other language is transmitted in oral and spontaneous form. The process of SI is not a simple transformation of text from a source language (SL) into a target language (TL), but is a complex process. The fact that the recipient is both recipient and transmitter of the information simultaneously strongly influences the process of interpreting. The aim of this article is to show how the interpreter, as a low-knowledge individual, manages to establish unhampered communication between participants of a discussion speaking different languages; how he or she manages to produce a coherent bilingual text of a discussion. (KFT)

This brief paper reports on a 1999 survey of all state education agencies (SEAs) regarding the provision of educational interpreting for students with hearing impairments. Specifically, the survey posed questions regarding the number of students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for whom educational interpreting is necessary, the number of educational interpreters available in the state or jurisdiction, the minimum certification requirements for educational interpreters, and guidelines for the evaluation of those currently employed in such positions. The survey found wide discrepancies between and within states in their capacity to meet the need for educational interpreters. However, SEAs are increasingly moving toward developing guidelines or legislation requiring educational interpreters to be certified or licensed by the state. Other issues addressed include pre-service preparation of interpreters, recruitment and inservice training, technical assistance needs, appropriate student needs assessment, and consistency in cost and services. (DB)

This report summarizes the outcomes of a National Task Force on Educational Interpreting that was established to examine and clarify roles and responsibilities, training and certification, working conditions, and other issues and needs concerning the involvement of educational interpreters in regular education environments. The task force found: (1) educational interpreters need to be recognized as members of the educational team; (2) the increasing number of students with deafness enrolled in the mainstream has caused a crisis in availability of prepared professionals; (3) many students have no interpreter or an underqualified interpreter; (4) many systems do not have supervisory staff with sufficient expertise to evaluate educational interpreters; and (5) job descriptions for educational interpreters vary greatly from one setting to another. The task force recommended the development of certification standards and the promotion of these standards to the states. Since that time, 11 states have developed and implemented standards. The problem of availability of personnel remains critical. The report discusses the roles and responsibilities of the educational interpreter, special problems in the rural environment, the use of teachers of students with deafness as interpreters, and the role of the National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education. (CR)

This document describes the multicultural Program for Deaf Adults (PDA) at LaGuardia Community College at the City University of New York. The PDA offers a comprehensive education through an extensive variety of both degree and continuing education courses. It offers basic skill courses in the academic division and, in the Division of Adult and Continuing Education, an extensive college-preparation course, a preparatory program for foreigners with deafness, Adult Basic Education, Regents Competency Test Preparation, General Education Diploma preparations and tests, pre-vocational skills, computer skills training, and support services such as interpreting, tutoring, supplemental instruction, and notetaking. The publication discusses student enrollment in PDA programs, outreach and recruitment of students from diverse backgrounds, recruiting teachers and interpreters, and programs and services. Initiatives to improve students' academic skills, placement and assessment, and support services are addressed. Extracurricular activities that are provided are also described and include the Deaf Multicultural Club, Town Meetings, and publication of "Voices of Deaf Students." Finally, the Deaf Studies Program and the interpreter education program are highlighted. Appendices include program descriptions, statistics on the student population, and a list of organizational resources. (Contains 17 references.) (CR)

This report describes the role and status of interpreting and translation (I/T) training and services in Australia and examines a number of issues that relate to policy formation and service provision. It first describes the context for I/T service needs in Australia, then outlines the history and structure of the field in that country, including the relationship between I/T and Australian language policy, federal, state, and private provision of I/T services, and establishment of national standards and a national certification system. A subsequent section details current issues in I/T in Australia, including issues specific to language service organizations, to certification and training, and to different domains of I/T work (indigenous languages, women's/family language service needs, and international communication needs). The final section looks at global trends in I/T, outlines some international perspectives, compares and contrasts the Australian and international experiences, and discusses issues concerning less commonly spoken languages. Appended materials include a list of I/T agencies and contacts in Australia and other countries, statistics on the work of the language service run by the Australian department of immigration and multicultural affairs, and a glossary of relevant acronyms. (MSE)

The principal stimulus for language policy in Australia since 1990 has been economic development, particularly for promotion of international trade. Surveys show that Australian industry tends to be hesitant to enter new markets, and to focus on markets in the English-speaking world despite low growth potential. However, business and industry are beginning to acknowledge benefits of language skills and seeking to employ people having them. Surveys of industry language skill requirements suggest that where these requirements exist, they reflect high expectations that are not clearly articulated. Better specifications for vocational language needs and better methods for assessing them are needed. In addition, more language-learning resources should be made available to the business community. Greater emphasis must be placed on practical proficiency, a challenge encountered even in business schools that provide language training. A shortage of qualified language teachers also exists. In Australia, two primary policy thrusts should be: (1) refocusing of language education policy on quality, especially the attainment of useful levels of language proficiency, and (2) training language teachers to provide this proficiency level. Provision of self-supporting language services, such as telephone interpreting, to small and middle-sized companies would also be beneficial. Contains 13 references. (MSE)

A study investigated the role of the interpreter in doctor-patient communication by analyzing four complete medical interviews at a large urban hospital, each involving one of two Russian interpreters on staff. Both interpreters were native Russian speakers recently immigrated to the United States. Patients were middle-aged and elderly immigrants with varying English language skills and experience with American health care. Five physicians were involved. Analysis of the discourse in the interviews resulted in development of a model of interpreted medical discourse, including principles of turn-taking, to provide insight into the nature of the relationships created through participants' discourse strategies. In sum, it is concluded that interpreters can control the conversational organization of the medical interview, distribution of turns among the participants, and doctor-patient exchange of information. Direct communication of doctor and patient through the interpreter is the preferred conversational mode because it approximates most closely the normal monolingual interaction and facilitates information exchange. A second common interaction type, in which direct interactions are between doctor and interpreter and interpreter and patient, may result in the interpreter controlling what is said and who gets to talk, endangering quality of care. Contains 25 references. (MSE)

The Medical Interpreter Training Project, created as a collaborative effort of Northern Essex Community College (Massachusetts), private businesses, and medical care providers in Massachusetts, developed a 28-credit, competency-based certificate program to prepare bilingual adults to work as medical interpreters in a range of health care settings. Participation in the program was targeted to two major linguistic groups in the area: Spanish- and Khmer-speaking adults. The first college-level program in the United States, the Medical Interpreter Certificate Program is organized around three essential areas of knowledge and skills that a medical interpreter must have: skills in spoken language interpretation, multicultural perspectives, and medical content. The pilot group of about 20 students were all placed in jobs. The project also developed professional standards of practice that now serve to guide on-the-job performance evaluation, supervision, and inservice training. (Appendixes to the report include project development information, a needs survey, medical interpreter program competencies, language assessments, standards of practice, and also contains 11 references.) (KC)

This brief paper for individuals interested in being qualified as educational interpreters for the deaf in Virginia provides basic information about educational interpreting and competency requirements of the Virginia Quality Assurance Screening (VQAS) program. It explains: the goal of educational interpreting; the role of the educational interpreter; competence requirements; standards established in Virginia; components of VQAS screenings; the VQAS written assessment; minimum competency for the written assessment; development of the VQAS performance assessment materials; criteria for the performance assessment (to demonstrate voice-to-sign, sign-to-voice, and interactive technical abilities); proficiency and diagnostic feedback; reliability and validity standards; VQAS assessment schedules and registration; candidate participation; training opportunities; and sources of additional information. (DB)

This report describes in detail the deaf interpreter training program offered at Mott Community College (Flint, Michigan). The program features field-based learning experiences, internships, team teaching, a field practicum, the goal of having students meet certification standards, and proficiency examinations. The program has special relationships with a variety of agencies, organizations, and schools involved with deafness. Individual sections of the report address: program description; population served; curriculum (including course descriptions, course scheduling, instructional methodology, accreditation, and employment outlook); personnel (including faculty/staff activities and development); program data (enrollment trends, grade distribution, student completion rates, licensure/standardized test performance, follow-up evaluations, and admissions/placement); facilities and equipment; financial resources; program strengths and effectiveness; areas of projected change/improvement; and process evaluation. Appendices comprise the bulk of the report and include: student, instructor, and program statistics; curricular guides and course outlines; course schedules; multi-year schedule; survey results; and memos. (DB)

The last in a series of reports on nine prominent foreign languages in Australia reviews the status of Spanish, particularly as it concerns public policy and second language teaching. The first chapter describes the research and survey methodologies that are the basis for this report. Subsequent chapters summarize the results and draw conclusions. The chapter on Spanish in Australian education looks at student demographics, education policy, ethnic schools, second language instruction, educational associations, curricula, instructional materials, tests and testing, teacher education and certification, and changes over time. The chapter on Spanish in Australian society focuses on patterns in the Spanish-speaking population's location and migration, demand for translation and interpreters, the language's image, and language maintenance and vitality. The chapter on Spanish in Australia and overseas includes its economic importance overseas and in Australia, trade patterns with Spanish-speaking nations, and opinions within the business sector. Conclusions and recommendations are made concerning the promotion of Spanish in education, resource allocation, and the future of the language in Australia. Appended are extensive materials from the study including institutions teaching Spanish, ethnic school contacts, and survey instruments (one in Spanish). Contains 85 references. (MSE)

Intended for individuals wishing to be qualified as Deaf Interpreters by the Virginia Quality Assurance Screening (VQAS) program of the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, this monograph describes the program in question-and-answer format. It addresses the following topics: what the VQAS is; who administers the VQAS; the Directory of Qualified Interpreters; the legal definition of a qualified interpreter; the difference between certification and screening; the components of the VQAS screening; the difference between interpreting and transliterating; the assessment structure; diagnostic skills assessed in the performance assessment; criteria used for awarding a screening level; scoring of the written assessment; scoring of the performance assessment; receipt of assessment results; failure to receive a screening level; competency indications of the levels awarded; the VQAS and educational interpreters; evaluation of cued speech transliterators; fees and schedules; preparation for the VQAS assessment; and sources of additional information. Attached is a glossary of terms related to deaf interpreting. (DB)

Translating achievement tests and questionnaires prepared in one language and culture for use in other languages and cultures has been a long-standing practice. Unfortunately, there is considerable technical evidence that suggests that the quality of test translations varies considerably, and too often the translations are not very good, thus reducing the validity of any results produced with the translated tests and questionnaires. Four important problems that arise in translation that must be considered are: (1) the selection of translators; (2) identifying the appropriate language for the target version of the test; (3) identifying and minimizing cultural differences; and (4) finding equivalent words or phrases. Several methods for establishing the equivalence of translated tests are reviewed. Two judgmental methods are forward translation (pretest method) and back translation, in which the test is translated to the target language and back to the original by a second translator. Three data collection designs that have been used in establishing test score equivalence of source and target language versions of a test are reviewed. Fourteen guidelines are presented for translating tests and establishing score equivalence. A 40-item list of references is included, as well as French and English abstracts of the document. (SLD)

This document consists of four consecutive annual reports of the Hawaii State Tourism Training Council (TTC) to the Governor of Hawaii. The 1990 report examines a study done in 1989 to assess career advancement opportunities for native Hawaiians in the hotel industry. The study, which was based on a literature review and two rounds of key informant interviews, indicated that native Hawaiian managers are still underrepresented in Hawaii's hotel industry. The Hawaii state legislature appropriated funds to provide tourism training to 177 participants in a pilot series of professional seminars called the School of Travel Industry Management. (TIM). A 6-year action plan for TIM and 16 program improvement recommendations were also developed. The 1991 report looks at a study that assessed training needs at Honolulu International Airport (HIA). In general, most of the airport's employees were found to need training in public relations, safety, control of substance abuse, literacy, foreign language brush-up, and career upgrade. A second study examined the in-house training dimension in Hawaii's visitor industry. The study findings were analyzed, and specific recommendations were developed. The 1992 report examines the role of retail salespeople in Hawaii's visitor industry. The TTC also conducted a survey to identify human resource management training programs in Hawaii's visitor sector. The 1993 report examines the way Hawaii's TTC continues to address the human resource component in economic development and to improve career development and employment opportunities for workers in Hawaii's visitor industry. The TTC issued 8 recommendations for improving tourism training in Hawaii and 26 guidelines for addressing the tourism training needs identified by TTC studies. (MN)

Frequently-asked questions about English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction are posed and answered. Questions address the following: the goals of ESL instruction; how ESL differs from bilingual education; how students needing ESL are identified; where interpreters are found; the "Lau Decision"; how to find out how much English the student understands; the distinction between conversational and academic proficiency in English; ESL and age-appropriate placement; the ESL teacher's role; early childhood ESL programs; how much ESL is enough; how soon ESL students should be mainstreamed; dealing with special education needs; what regular classroom teachers should do to help ESL students; sheltered English; the role of bilingual aides; ESL students' use of their native language in school; grade retention and promotion and academic standards; parent involvement; instructional materials; use of instructional technology; ESL program funding; program recordkeeping; ongoing professional training for ESL teachers; and ESL inservice education for regular teachers. Lists of print materials, publishers and distributors of ESL materials, and organizations useful as resources are appended. (MSE)

A report on the language services and language education needs of women in Australia, particularly those whose native language is other than English, is presented. First, it reviews the need for language services such as translation and interpreting in the large, diverse, and growing population of women of non-English-speaking backgrounds. Priority groups in this population are then discussed. These include recent arrivals, the elderly and aging, industrial workers, refugees and humanitarians immigrants, and culturally distinctive migrants such as those in whose culture women have a very traditional role. Special considerations in assessing and serving the needs of women clients are also examined, including costs, cultural factors, and special areas of need such as health care and family-related services. Administrative and ethical issues in the provision of language services are outlined, and professional and funding issues are also noted. The report concludes with a review of relevant literature, both general surveys and information relating specifically to health issues and legal interpreting. Recommendations for both policy and action are made throughout the report. A substantial bibliography, demographic data, reports of consultations held in the process of researching the report, and objectives of the project are appended. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

A study of effective training programs for community and court interpreters is reported. The characteristics of 25 well-established interpreter training programs in North America, Europe, and Scandinavia were examined, and 6 of these programs were selected for site visits. The purposes were to identify outstanding models of interpreter training, learn how they are organized, staffed, and funded, and find evidence that formal interpreter training significantly improves interpreter performance and helps ensure clients equal access to medical, legal, and social services. The report provides background information on the Twin Sisters Interpreter Project (Minnesota) and on the study itself, outlines its methodology, describes 8 of the training programs in some detail, presents results of an analysis and comparison of characteristics of the 25 programs examined, and makes observations on the importance of interpreter training in promoting professionalism, role definition, and reliability of performance. It is concluded that the proficiency and reliability of a given interpreter can not be assumed without a formal performance evaluation and that interpreter training programs can significantly affect an individual's interpreting proficiency. Appended materials include a summary of interviews and observations from the site visits, documentation on the training programs in the study, and additional information about community interpreting. (MSE)

This final report discusses the outcomes of a project designed to promote higher standards for Sign Language interpreter preparations programs and to provide an opportunity for such programs to engage in self-examination. The project field-tested a set of program standards and a program self-study process with five Sign Language interpreter programs, and trained nine raters to score program applications. The project found that programs are eager for this type of programmatic feedback and wanted to know whether they "passed" the evaluation. Many qualified people expressed interest in participating in the rating and scoring process. The raters who completed training and participated in the field-test were found to have addressed the task with integrity, commitment, and insight. However, the scoring process was found to be structured so that it was difficult to interpret the data collected in any meaningful way. The report includes a program assessment, a description of the process of field-testing the interpreter education endorsement, and the program standards and evaluation forms. Contains 13 references. (CR)