Language and Learning

*Some of the information in the following section was originally developed by a team that created the website about ‘raising deaf kids’ (See About Us). The team at Boys Town National Research Hospital provided edits, additional information, and updates to this content.

What an educational interpreter does

An educational interpreter helps deaf students who use sign language communicate with other people and access the language presented by teachers in the classroom. An educational interpreter may sign to your child what her teachers and other students say to them. The interpreter can also "voice" for your child. This means that the interpreter will say out loud what your child signs to the teacher and her classmates.

Make sure your child gets the interpreter that's right for her

There are many different kinds of interpreters. For one thing, not all interpreters sign the same way. Here are just a few of the different ways of signing:

American Sign Language (ASL) – a complete, natural language used by many Deaf people
Signing Exact English (SEE) – a manual code of English
Signed English (SE) – a manual code of English

Oral interpreters. These interpreters will silently mouth what is being said. The student reads the interpreter's lips.
Cued speech transliterators. These interpreters will mouth what is being said while cueing. Cueing is using hand shapes in different places around the mouth to show what sounds the speaker makes while speaking. See our section on cued speech for more about this at Choosing Communication Approach.

How to Get a School Interpreter for Your Child

If your child relies on sign language for communication, he will need a sign language interpreter in the classroom. A sign language interpreter who supports a child's access to education is called an educational interpreter. The job of an educational interpreter is to transmit information to the student in an accurate and efficient way. They also need to be able to understand and translate what your child is communicating in sign language to others. The job of an educational interpreter is complex, and there are standards and ethical codes that educational interpreters follow to do their jobs well. Educational interpreters also need a high level of expertise in sign language to provide your child information access. Skilled educational interpreters make a very important contribution to children's learning.

At your child's IEP meeting, ask your child's IEP team to include an interpreter in your child's IEP if appropriate. If they agree that the child needs an educational interpreter, the school should then find, hire, and pay for a skilled educational interpreter.

Make sure your child's IEP includes:

What kind of interpreter is needed. Some children use American Sign Language (ASL) and need an interpreter skilled in ASL. Some children use a manual code of English (like Signing Exact English or Signed English) and need an interpreter skilled in those systems. Others use Cued Speech and require a Cued Speech transliterator,
When your child needs the interpreter. It may be during classes, during school assemblies and/or field trips.
How long your child needs the interpreter. Like for part of the year, or during the whole year.

To see what an educational interpreter does, visit this video on classroom interpreting for deaf and hard of hearing students:

For more information, read this helpful Fact Sheet for parents written by Dr. Brenda Schick: DHH_03-Ed.-Interpreter-Guide-Sheets_Parents-Galludet-classroom-interpreter-guide-for-parents.pdf (wyominginstructionalnetwork.com)

For more about educational interpreters, visit their national organization:
Home - National Association for Interpreters in Education (naiedu.org)

Visit these sites to learn more about how educational interpreters are evaluated and trained to ensure high quality educational access:
https://eipa.boystown.org/;
Home | Classroom Interpreting | Boys Town EIPA