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Roles and Responsibilities of the Educational Interpreter
The
primary responsibility of the Educational Interpreter is to translate spoken
language (English) and other auditory information (i.e. the bell, whistles,
etc.) into a visual language for deaf and/or hard of hearing students.
Educational
interpreters must also translate the deaf and/or hard of hearing person's manual
mode of communication into the spoken language (English) for the hearing persons
in the environment of the hearing impaired.
When
interpreters are hired for the sole responsibility of translator ONLY,
the interpreter's responsibilities are limited to:
*Translating for the deaf/hard of hearing person
*Participating in educational planning with the classroom teacher and itinerant
*Participating on the educational team
This generally only happens in the large school districts, where there is a
higher population of deaf and hard of hearing students.
In
smaller school districts, interpreters many times take on several other
responsibilities. These may include:
*Tutoring
*Teaching sign language classes
*Interpreting outside the classroom
*Serving as a classroom instructional assistant
*No matter what the responsibilities of the interpreter is given,
it is important to understand that their primary responsibility is meeting
the deaf or hard of hearing student's communication needs. Everything else
is SECONDARY.
The roles that the interpreter is responsible for will be written in
the deaf or hard of hearing child's Individualized Education Plan.
It is important for general education teachers to attend the I.E.P. meeting, so
they are aware of what these roles entail.
There
should be a clear distinction of when the interpreter's takes on the
responsibilities of a translator and a tutor. Although, sometimes this can be
impossible, depending on the level and needs of the student.
The
interpreter may help orient the classroom teacher to his or her job as an
interpreter.
It is important that the interpreter meets with the classroom teacher
at the beginning of the year. The teacher and interpreter should discuss:
1. Schedules
2. Classroom Routines
3. Class Seating Arrangements for the Interpreter and the Student
4. Lighting
5. Media (Closed-Captioning)
6. What to do if the interpreter is absent
*The interpreter needs to know the content material. If the interpreter isn't
informed by the general education teacher, and communication is broken,
information can be misinterpreted. Interpreters use concepts to relay messages
to the students.
The
interpreter helps the hearing students in the classroom to become oriented to
the deaf student and an interpreter in the classroom.
.
Works
Cited.
Bullard, Carolyn, Ph.D. (2003). The Itinerant Teacher's
Handbook. Hillsboro, Oregon: Butte Publications, Inc.
Klein, D. H. & Parker, E. W. (2002). Spoken Communication for Students Who
Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Hillsboro, OR:
Butte Publications, Inc.
McAnally, P. L., Rose, Sue, & Quigley, S. P. (1999). Reading
Practices with Deaf Learners. Austin, Texas: PRO-ED, Inc.
McAnally, P. L., Rose, Sue, & Quigley, S. P. (1994). Language
Learning Practices with Deaf Children (2nd Edition). Austin, Texas:
PRO-ED, Inc.
Tye-Murray, Nancy. (2004). Foundations of Aural
Rehabilitation: Children, Adults, and Their Family Members (2nd Edition).
Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Learning.
Moores, Donald F. (1996). Educating the Deaf: Psychology, Principals, and
Practices (4th Edition). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
https://www.marshall.k12.mn.us
Copyright © 2005, Danielle Thor. All Rights Reserved.
For problems or questions regarding this web contact
[danielle.thor@marshall.k12.mn.us].
Last updated: 04/04/08.
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