The goal of this panel is to provide a forum in which to explore how to best achieve high levels of proficiency for heritage language speakers in both English and their 1st language, in pursuance of a new H.S. vocational training track in community and healthcare interpreting. Can interpreter training be introduced in the junior year of high school? Can the national certification minimum requirements of 40 hours of interpreter training be implemented over the course of four semesters? We believe it can.
Publications/Scholarship supporting this training:
Getting to Advanced: Challenging High School Heritage Language Learners to Step Outside Their Comfort Zone, Dr. Eduardo Viana Da Silva, Dr. Svetlana Abramova, Dr. Michele Anciaux Aoki, Dr. Bridget Yaden)
Opportunities for Learning in Mixed Heritage/Second Language Classrooms, Dr. Ana Fernández Dobao, Associate Professor, Spanish; Language Program Director, at the UW)
Will students, at the age of 18, be equipped to handle and successfully pass the written and oral examinations for national certification? What would be the recommended strategies for assuring high levels of proficiency in both the student’s first language and English? The ultimate summative assessment would be the national certification exam. What types of formative assessments would be the most meaningful for this particular cohort?
ELL and World Language teachers, each have valuable contributions to make to this discussion, such as specific strategies or methods for enhancing proficiency in a group that may speak both English and their first language without an accent, but who may be unable to read or write in their first language. These heritage speakers often have significant knowledge gaps in vocabulary, and only be familiar with informal registers of speech for their first language. Standardized teaching methodologies, formative and summative assessments need to be implemented nationally, in all programs for this new vocational high school training track to be successful.
This proposed vocational training track brings up many questions surrounding how to support heritage language speakers’ attainment of proficiency in both languages. The panelists will expand upon and clarify approaches for the above.
THE CASE FOR CREATING CURRICULUM FOR A NEW VOCATIONAL TRAINING TRACK AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL
Community and Healthcare Interpreters - Background:
An Opportunity for Heritage Language Speakers and World Language Students
Interpreter Vocational Training in the High Schools
Without sacrificing standards, it is indeed possible to target medical interpreter training to heritage speakers from all language groups, enabling them to successfully enter the field as professional interpreters. Trainers and educators could partner in a two-year vocational training program starting in the junior year of high school.
Big Picture
- Language access is needed at many levels within the local community
- Interpreter services and translated materials are not always easily sourced or available
- Untapped local natural resources are lying fallow, namely, the language abilities of students who speak a language other than English at home
- Native language speakers of world languages are present in every single student cohort
- Implementing a vocational training program in spoken language interpreting would allow students to earn good money / work flexible schedules upon graduation and turning 18
- This vocational training can be offered to all student cohorts, providing the opportunity for underperforming cohorts to improve
World language programs have traditionally targeted specific cohorts
- College bound
- High performing students
This program would widen that scope, targeting underperforming cohorts
- ELL
- Migrant
- Latino
- East African students within the Black/African American cohort
Training
―Fundamentals of interpreting, offered every semester
- Interpreter Roles
- Initial and ongoing skills and performance assessments
- Ethics
- Standards of Practice
- Terminology to accompany each module
- Practicum and coaching
―Topics by semester
- Community Interpreting (Fall of Junior year)
- School Interpreting (Spring of Junior year)
- Social Services Interpreting (Fall of Senior year)
- Healthcare Interpreting (Spring of Senior year)
This proactive approach will help ensure language access for all the language communities who currently struggle with a lack of trained, professional interpreters.
Required Steps for Vocational Training as an Interpreter
―Complete the two-year vocational interpreter training
―Graduate from high school
―Sit for: in WA, the DSHS social service or medical interpreter certification exam(s)
- Optional
―Pursue national certification in all fifty states, by taking one of the healthcare interpreter certification exams offered by CCHI (Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters)
- Local language service providers will partner and provide on-the-job training for newly certified students
- Local employment upon completion of the internship
- At LSP Call Center
- From Home
–Expand program to offer training in translation and localization in year 2 or 3
Which cohorts would be a good fit for this vocational training option?
High Performing
- College bound
- Running Start
–Vocational interpreter training during High School, combined with medical interpreter certificate program at a local Community College
- Migrant
- Asian
- Discovery/Gifted
- IB students
Under Performing
- ELL
- Native Hawaiian
- Pacific Islander
- Latino
- East African
- Homeless
- Low income
Medical interpreting faces a paradox
We are in desperate need of competent, well trained interpreters who speak less common and indigenous languages, yet--most training programs require levels of formal education and literacy that make them inaccessible to bilingual speakers of rare languages, known as languages of limited diffusion, such as:
- East African: Amharic, Oromo, MaayMaay, Tigrigna
- Southeast Asian: Khmer, Hmong, Cambodia, Mien, Khmai
- Pacific Island: Tongan, Marshallese, Tagalog
- Central American indigenous languages: Kanjobal, Ki’che, Mayan, Mam, Mixteco, Triqui
Heritage language speakers are the “diamonds in our own backyard” in terms of being a talented, unique resource that will provide for future language access for the community
Learning Goals
- Understand the broad range of educational levels both formal and informal, that exists in the world of professional medical interpreters where we: assess students for first language fluency; Assess students for ESL level; assess for basic computer skills
- Train student interpreters in: interpreting skills; standards and ethics; terminology and register; all three modalities (in-person, telephonic and video remote interpreting)
- Develop metrics for assessment and coaching of interpreter performance: assess for interpreting errors in a consistent manner to measure; omissions, additions, editorializing, nuance, register; managing flow/asking for clarification
- Consistently offer practicum to improve interpreting skill set: interpreting speed; listening; memory; cultural brokering; advocacy