We think it’s important to point out to our community when our services can really help and assist families, whether it’s at a doctor’s appointment, a court hearing, and parent-teacher conferences, we want you to be prepared and are able to communicate your needs and questions without fear of misunderstanding.

In this article, we’ll cover how important it can be to have interpreters attend these parent-teacher conferences.

As you know, in our bilingual and multicultural community in and around Lancaster, we have parents who may really feel concerned about attending a conference about their kids, when they are unsure they will be able to understand the comments or outcome of the conference.

This can also affect the teachers who are unsure if they will be understood by the parents when addressing important information about the student and other school information.

Your Language Connection understands these concerns and are known for providing the best interpreters who are trained for these exact circumstances.

Here are a few very important considerations for Hiring Interpreters For Parent-Teacher Conferences:

Understanding Cultural Differences

It’s important to realize that many come from a culture where it is either insulting to a teacher to ask for student progress information. Alternatively, the expectation may be that the children have been sent to the teacher to learn and if the teacher is asking for a parent’s help, then there must be something wrong with the teacher. You can see how many bridges must be crossed in order to offer the kind of outreach and support parents may need to fully benefit from parent-teacher conferences.

Understanding The Importance Of Hiring Trained Interpreters

It is very important that students are not interpreters. Students may not feel comfortable interpreting for their parents. They may not know the appropriate vocabulary to interpret educational information. And they may not necessarily be forthcoming if they do not like the information being presented. (Some teachers have reported that a few of their Spanish-speaking students told their parents that ‘F’ stood for “Fantástico”.) The most important part of hiring an interpreter from Your Language Connection is that they are trained in the importance of being UNBIASED. Here’s a great article on unbiased interpreting we provide in medical situations.

 Understanding How Important It Is For Parents To Feel Included

At Your Language Connection, we realize it’s a big relief for parents to approach the school and know that there is somebody there that will help them. They feel really grateful because they know they’ll be understood and they will know exactly what the teacher is explaining. When there’s someone there that’s going to advocate for them, attempt to close the language gap, and will communicate the information or the questions they have, allows parents to feel valued and more a part of the process.

 Contact us today so that we can provide interpreters for the important parent-teacher conferences. Everyone will feel more included, understood, and will appreciate the unbiased communication between the teacher and the parents. Here’s more information on Your Language Connection’s Interpretation Services.