{"id":2604,"date":"2025-01-26T20:31:03","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T01:31:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/masfec.org\/?p=2604"},"modified":"2025-12-04T13:00:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T18:00:48","slug":"new-partnership-with-national-association-of-educational-translators-and-interpreters-of-spoken-languages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/masfec.org\/zh\/new-partnership-with-national-association-of-educational-translators-and-interpreters-of-spoken-languages\/","title":{"rendered":"New Partnership with National Association of Educational Translators and Interpreters of Spoken Languages\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"educatorAs a program of the Federation for Children with Special Needs<\/a>, MASFEC is connected to a wide range of healthcare and education-focused supports for diverse language speakers and those who work with them. The Federation offers helplines, workshops, support groups, and learning resources in many different languages.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A new collaboration with the National Association of Educational Translators and Interpreters of Spoken Languages (NAETISL)<\/a> will broaden these efforts to include capacity-building efforts for everyone involved in providing language access in education. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Addressing Language Access Challenges in Education<\/span><\/h1>\n

In any setting, it\u2019s vital for translators and interpreters to understand the concepts and terminology of the field in which they are working. This is why Legal and Medical interpreters must be specially licensed. A license is not required to interpret or translate in education settings, but a certification is available and encouraged by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Aceriane Leal, FCSN’s School Navigation Manager, has recently completed this certification and is facilitating a new partnership aimed at furthering the conversation about language access in education. <\/span>Leal describes many unique challenges for effective language support in education.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, while individual districts may develop their own glossaries of educational terminology, there is no statewide or national standard for how terms should be translated. This has the potential to create confusion\u2014for example, if one interpreter translates the term <\/span>Individualized Education Program (IEP) as \u201cProgram for Educational Individualization (PEI)\u201d while another refers to it as a \u201cSpecial Education Plan for Individuals (SEPI).” If families do not see the same exact words each time an IEP is being referenced, they will have more difficulty understanding and discussing it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clarity about roles is another concern. It is common for school districts to rely on family engagement specialists or other existing staff members for translation and\/or interpretation. While there are enormous benefits to this approach, it is important for everyone involved to have clarity about the shifting roles that these staff members must play. When meeting 1-1 with a parent\/caregiver, a staff member might be a source of referrals and support, or might assist families with building their navigation and advocacy skills. When interpreting during a formal meeting, however, they must be as neutral as possible, focusing on accurately representing what each person in the room is saying.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Providing interpretation during special education evaluations with students is particularly complex. Information must be communicated to the student in a very precise way to avoid biasing results. Word choice, tone of voice, or facial expressions can all bias the student\u2019s responses during the evaluation process.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A Dual Capacity Approach to Interpretation and Translation <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

To promote effective educational interpretation and translation, the Federation and <\/span>NAETISL<\/span><\/a> facilitated a range of activities focused on building capacity of families and professionals around interpretation and translation in 2025. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n