The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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word and grammar usage, rather than the meaning. For instance, if the child uses a single word to come back to the therapist, the interpreter must use a single word, rather than interpreting it as a sentence. When we do the Rapid Screening Test and put out the objects, it is important not to give any visual clues because we are assessing the child's understanding of spoken language. I know not to look at the objects I'm asking about, or point to them without realising. That is the kind of training interpreters need when they work with our department. Part of the team The first thing we do for the initial assessment is a parent interview and sometimes a parent will not understand one of the questions. Because I understand what information the therapist is trying to elicit, I am able to adapt the question immediately, whereas an interpreter would have to render faithfully what the therapist has said. My colleagues and I have a trusting relationship, so if they ask a question and I spend 10 minutes talking to the parent about it in mother tongue, they can be confident that I am asking the relevant questions. We have found that, in the South Asian community, parents like to repeat a lot to make sure the professionals have understood, particularly when they are anxious. As a bilingual assistant, instead of interpreting the whole thing again, I can tell the therapist when clients are repeating themselves. 12 The Linguist Vol/56 No/3 2017 www.ciol.org.uk Our department always books an interpreter for a family that needs one. Difficulties arise when parents say they don't need an interpreter yet don't have a sufficient level of English to understand deeply enough what is happening in the session. In that case, we will arrange another appointment either with a bilingual assistant or an interpreter. We had a Pakistani father not long ago who struggled to understand the session and later admitted that he had not wanted to waste the department's money by using an interpreter. Another appointment was booked, and once the parents could fully understand the programme they were really engaged. Some parents get angry when we suggest they might need an interpreter because they often don't understand that the interpreter is also there for the child and the therapist. In Rochdale, our NHS trust has a contract with a local interpreting company, and we have built a relationship with individual interpreters who work with us on a regular basis. 95% of the time, the agency will allocate us one of these interpreters when we book. An interpreter could be in an antenatal clinic in the morning, then day surgery, and then our clinic in the afternoon for an assessment with a three-year-old. Because we work with the same interpreters regularly, they know how we work, what we're looking for and what not to give away. An interpreter's role is to convey meaning and aid communication, but in SLT the role is quite different, as they must convey the exact Parental engagement can sometimes be an issue and parents can be more responsive to a bilingual assistant than an interpreter, possibly because they recognise us as experienced members of the team. We currently have two bilingual children on the Lidcome programme. This is an intensive, detailed programme for children who stammer, and the parents need to spend every day with the children doing various activities. The dysfluency specialist booked an interpreter but found that the mothers weren't engaging with the programme, and were looking away when the interpreter was talking. Because of the complexity of the programme, she felt it might be better to work with an experienced assistant for mother tongue support, so I started joining the sessions. Within two weeks we saw a change in both mums. Rochdale is possibly the only SLT department in the country that works so passionately with other languages, and adapts both assessments and therapy for other languages. For practitioners who are not used to working bilingually, it can be difficult to understand how they might give therapy in another language. Trust and understanding are key, and when a therapist comes to our department, they find translated materials and established ways of working that are proven to be effective, and a team that is passionate about delivering therapy in the child's strongest language. Interview by Miranda Moore FEATURES © SHUTTERSTOCK