Considerations When Working with Interpreters

With the U.S. population becoming increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse, more and more professionals, such as speech—language pathologists, need to rely on the services of interpreters. Many interpreters have received little or no training, and certification or continuing education activities are often nonexistent. The brief training that is provided comes from a mainstream perspective designed to promote the employer's goals, and the interpreter's perspective is rarely considered. This article describes the current training and certification procedures in place for linguistic interpreters, the continuum of interpreter roles, and how interpreters' perspectives may influence the interpretive interaction.