When your client doesn’t speak English well….
Lisa Fontes, Ph.D.
Union Institute & University
LFontes@rcn.com
What’s it like for you?
What is it like for the client?
Foreign-born population in TN Today: 237,000 out of 6,000,000
Latin America
106,000
Asia
66,000
Europe
33,000
Africa
21,000
Northern America
8,800
Speak lang. other than English @
home
309,000
Immigrants
Less likely than native born to receive TANF (welfare), foodstamps or housing aid
Less likely to use center-based childcare
Less likely to receive regular medical or dental care
When immigrants enter neighborhood of similar income level, crime rate goes down
Looking at terms:
Illegal vs. undocumented or unauthorized
Undocumented aliens
Pay sales, gasoline, housing & other taxes
Often pay social security
Contribute to local economy
Found to have insignificant effect on wages
Mostly fill jobs others don’t want
Schools & emergency rooms are major resources used
26% of U.S. & TN immigrants are undocumented
Handling language issues compassionately
We are lacking, not the people we are serving
Language competency affects:
© Lisa Fontes 2008
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ability to remember
ability to communicate
comfort & other feelings
shame
Detachment effect (in a language other than one’s first language, what one is saying
often feels different—unreal, less emotional, less important)
Avoid making assumptions about clients based on their English language skills
Major Source of Error in Investigations & Interventions: Linguistic
misunderstanding
Language barriers
Lack of bilingual providers
Lack of documents in native language
Failure by professionals to access interpreters
Poor quality interpreting
Difficulties communicating in English
Executive Order of 2000 Amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires:
All agencies receiving federal assistance of any kind must provide services that are
accessible to people with limited English proficiency.
Applies to most healthcare, legal, criminal justice, education, & social welfare settings
Prohibited: services of more limited scope or lower quality, unreasonable delays, limited
participation in a program or activity, failure to inform LEP persons of right to
interpreter or requiring people to provide their own interpreter
Legal obligation to provide an interpreter
When to use an interpreter
At any point even if person or family initially declines
Quality interpretation is a client’s basic right & our professional obligation
It is not a favor or add-on
Offer interpreting services multiple times over the course of interventions
Why might a professional fail to access interpreters?
Cost
Delays
Complications
Bias
Perception that client speaks “well enough”
Desire to “try out” own language skills
Why might someone who needs an interpreter decline one?
Fear of not being taken seriously
Not understanding offer
Shame over language skills
© Lisa Fontes 2008
Pride in newly acquired language skills
Fear about a charge for services
Concerns about gossip
Shame about issue
Problems with informal interpreters
Conflict of interest/prior relationship
Embarrassment
Desire to save face
Denial/disbelief
Confidentiality & perceived confidentiality
Dialect
Limited language skills or knowledge of specific terms
Children interpreting
Interpreter “blamed”
May be asked to testify in court
Finding Interpreters
Licensed or trained through agency
Licensed or trained freelance
Telephone
Train someone in-house
Community bank
The federal order allows for qualified voluntary community interpreters who are
bound by confidentiality agreements
Preparing Interpreters
Professional & interpreter meet first
Record name, qualifications & contact info
Confidentiality pledge & questions
Possibility of testifying
Describe the nature of the encounter
Completeness essential
Need exactness AND understanding
Stick closely to form of speech (incoherent, childlike, whatever)
Interpreter’s Role
• Neutral
• Unobtrusive
• Conduit for professional & client’s speech
• Professional demeanor
• No extra conversations after introduction
This may change if the child is very young or the person is intellectually impaired
Problems in Interpreting
Role confusion
Noise
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Speed
Multiple voices at once
Maintain “purity of voice” where possible
False cognates (molestar)
Technical terms or abbreviations
Time!
Tips for using an interpreter
Speak directly to client
Emotional contact from professional (not interpreter) to client
Call on good interpreters repeatedly
Supervision helpful
Simultaneous versus consecutive interpreting
Debrief after difficult sessions
Documents in People’s Languages
Create in target language
Team efforts are best
Back translate
Speakers of various dialects
Not all native speakers can translate written documents
Reading level
Is the audience literate?
When no interpreter is available… Tips
Speak slowly & enunciate
Face person & speak directly
Avoid jargon, slang, abbreviations & contractions
Use active verbs
Avoid complex verb constructions
Repeat key issues & questions in different ways
Avoid “yes” or “no” questions
Use short, simple sentences with one idea each
Use visual cues: gestures, photos, charts, & demonstrations. Remember, some people
don’t know how to read graphs, maps or charts & gestures can be misinterpreted
Provide written materials in native language
Allow sufficient time. Give breaks. Pause.
Allow silence
Give supportive comments on ability to communicate, such as, “I know it’s not easy
speaking English. You’re doing a great job.”
Listen attentively
Do not speak abnormally loud
Clarify your limitations
Be patient
Check for understanding: “I’d like to make sure you understand what we discussed
today. I know it was a lot of information & it all went by pretty quickly.
© Lisa Fontes 2008
Please tell me what you understood from our conversation. What are your next
steps?”
Accept & be familiar with the culture
Demonstrate respect
Acknowledge taboos: especially cultural ones
Be warm (personalismo), kind, friendly
Encourage questions
Take time to build a relationship—Don’t rush!
Be helpful as soon as possible
Remember the difficulty of the material
Do not insist on eye contact
Non-verbal Issues: gestures & touch
Shouldn’t they just learn English?
Recruit & support bilingual professionals
Fair workloads
Don’t add interpreting to workload without training & compensation
Not all bilingual people are qualified to interpret
Provide bilingual supervision
Is your agency providing the same quality services to people whose native language
is not English?
If not, what else can be done?
Commit to a step
Thank you for your commitment to this issue!
So every person can be heard, understood & respected
And receive the best possible professional response
Selected References
Altarriba, J. & Morier, R. G. (2004). Bilingualism: Language, Emotion and mental health. In T.
Bhatia & W. C. Ritchie (Eds). The bilingual handbook (p. 250-280). Malden, MA:
Blackwell Publishing.
Davidson, B. (2000) The interpreter as institutional gatekeeper: The social-linguistic role of
interpreters in Spanish-English medical discourse. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 4/3, 379405.
Fontes, L. A. (2005). Child abuse & culture: Working with diverse families. New York:
Guilford.
Fontes, L. A. (2008). Interviewing clients across culture. New York: Guilford.
Kitayama, S. & Markus, H.R. (eds.) (1994). Emotion and culture. Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.
Perez Foster, R. (1999). The Power of language in the clinical process: Assessing and treating
the bilingual person. New York: Jason Aronson.
Santiago-Rivera, A. L. & Altarriba, J. (2002). The role of language in therapy with the SpanishEnglish bilingual client. Professional Psychology: research and Practice, 33, 30-38.
Suleiman, L. P. (2003). Beyond cultural competence: Language access and Latino civil rights.
Child Welfare, 84, 185-200.
© Lisa Fontes 2008