Department of Translation and Interpretation Services
Access to Interpreters & Translators
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As a general rule, friends, family, and younger siblings should never serve as interpreters in
official school meetings.
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Bilingual (or fluent) School-based personnel may continue to assist with requests as needed
other than 504, IEP meetings, and Due Process Hearings.
Scheduling Interpreters
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Requests for WCPSS interpreters should be made at least 5 days in advance. Services are limited
and provided on a first-come, first-serve basis (outside of IEP, 504, and Due Process Hearing
meetings).
Access to Interpreters: 504, Title 1, etc…
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For 504, Title I, Parent/Teacher conferences, etc., a form to access WCPSS interpreters can be
found on the intranet, under Departments, “Translation and Interpretation Services”.
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For Due Process Hearings interpreters will be provided by the Office of Student Due Process
Access to Interpreters: IEP Meetings
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For IEP meetings, please access the request form via the Intranet> Forms, search “Interpreter”
and choose the “Interpreter Request Form – Special Education Services”. Email this form to:
foreignlanguageinterpreters@wcpss.net.
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A confirmation email will be sent back to the requestor with a confirmed order number, once
the request is processed.
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Five days notice is preferred, but at a minimum, three business days notice must be given for
requesting an interpreter for an IEP meeting.
Requesting Documents to be Translated
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Available resources for translations are limited and great care should be exercised in deciding if
a document should be translated.
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WCPSS is not required to translate most correspondence with parents, unless requested.
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WCPSS cannot accommodate translating nightly and weekly correspondence with parents.
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Requests for translations are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis (outside of 504, IEP, and Due
Process Hearings).
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When deciding if a document should be translated, ask: When in doubt, ask an administrator 1st
--Is this information critical for parents to know to make sound decisions about their child’s
education?
--Is this document requiring parental involvement or approval?
--Will the student be at a disadvantage without parent knowledge?
•
The Translation Service Request Form is located on departmental website (intranet) and
requires a minimum 5-day advance notice.
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Prefer documents to be submitted in WORD (formatting Publisher and Power Point translations
increases costs) or saved from the EasyIEP system and emailed as an attachment
Requesting Documents to be Translated: IEP Documents
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If requesting IEP documents, please attach the Translation Services Request – IEP Documents
form. This form can also be found on the Translation and Interpretation Services
departmental website (intranet).
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Both documents (the Translation Services Request Form –IEP Documents and the ‘Translation
Service Request Form should be emailed to: esl-interpreters@wcpss.net.
Remember: Translation requests require a minimum 5-day advance notice
Parent Access to Language Assistance Services
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WCPSS has a new phone line that parents can call to request an interpreter, a translated
document, or to ask questions about school processes.
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The phone line is answered by a bilingual (Spanish/English) individual with access to interpreters
of multiple languages.
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When parents request services by calling the phone line, the school personnel will be notified.
Identifying Parents Who Need Language Assistance
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WCPSS is required to survey parents of students who have indicated that a language other than
English is spoken in the home to determine if they need translation or interpretation services.
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Information from the surveys will be entered into OASIS. On a quarterly basis schools are
required to provide the lists of parents who need language assistance to their faculty.
Recording Interpreting and Translation Requests
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When Interpretation and translation services are rendered at the school, the information must
be recorded in OASIS.
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A form for capturing the information to be entered in to OASIS must be completed at the end of
the meeting and given to the school’s designee.
•
This form can be found on the intranet, under Departments, “Translation and Interpretation
Services”
•
When Interpretation and translation services are rendered at the school, the information must
be recorded in OASIS.
•
A form for capturing the information to be entered in to OASIS must be completed at the end of
the meeting and given to the school’s designee.
•
This form can be found on the intranet, under Departments, “Translation and Interpretation
Services”
Language Assistance Statement
All district-wide and school-wide newsletters are required to place a Language Assistance Notification
which reads: If you need free translation services to understand school processes, call (919 852-3303.
The county has prepared PNG images that can be inserted into print publications.
There are additional questions that principals have asked over
this process. As a result, there are discussions within the
Superintendent Office and any additional outcomes will be
shared with principals. Until then, follow the parameters
outlined above.