National Resource Center for Reaching Victims of Crime: Enhancing Language Access Enhancing Language Access Developing Practical Skills within a Child AdvocacyCenter Setting Exploring Language Access in a CAC Setting What is Language Access? Language access consists of ensuring that persons who have limited or no English language proficiency; are Deaf or Hard of Hearing are able to access information, programs and services at a level equal to English proficient, hearing individuals What is Language Access within a Child Advocacy Center (CAC)/Multidisciplinary Team (MDT)? Ensuring that you can provide services to any child or family member who walks through your door or engages with your MDT regardless of any communication barriers Vocabulary Lesson Limited English Proficiency The limited ability to read, speak, write or understand English of individuals who do not speak English as their primary language. Deaf A capital Deaf denotes a cultural distinction that defines a group of people who are deaf and identify themselves as members of a linguistic and cultural group. Vocabulary Lesson (2) Interpretation The act of listening to a communication in one language and orally converting it to another language while retaining the same meaning. Translation The replacement of written text from one language into an equivalent written text in another language. Language Spoken at Home nine charts and graphs showing languages spoken at home with data from the U.S Census American Community Survey: https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2013/demo/2009-2013-lang-tables.html 7 – American Fact Finder Part of table showing households in Boston, MA speaking languages other than English at home. link to data:https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_17_5YR_S1601&prodType=table Census.gov – American Fact Finder (2) Part of table showing households in Boston, MA speaking languages other than English at home. link to data:https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_17_5YR_S1601&prodType=table Part of a table showing children ages 5-17 who speak languages other than English at home in Boston, MA. Link to data: https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_17_5YR_S1601&prodType=table Why does Language Access matter for the child and family? Opportunities • Safety • Healing • Being Heard • Justice • Access to Services Consequences • Re-Victimization • Perpetrator gets away with it • Child doesn’t get the help they need • Don’t seek help in the future Why does Language Access matter for the CAC and MDT? Opportunities • Fulfillment of mission • Access to the Necessary Information • Justice and Healing • Fidelity to the Model • Meaning and Impact Consequences • Investigation/ Prosecution Impacts • NCA Accreditation jeopardized • Lack of compliance with mandates and obligations • Loss of CommunityTrust NCA -Standard 2, Criteria B The CAC must ensure that provisions are made for non- English speaking and deaf or hard of hearing children and their family members throughout the investigation, intervention, and case management processes. • The CAC must explore a variety of resources or solutions to ensure adequate provisions are made to overcome language and communication barriers. • In order to protect the integrity of the investigation and services, care should be taken to ensure that appropriate translators areutilized. • CACs should not utilize children or client family members to translate for MDT members. Key Considerations • Providing language access in a timely and responsive matter requires intentional preparation • Effective language access begins with an understanding of the community you serve • Developing a Language Access Plan as a team is essential it must be revisited and revised regularly as part of your protocols Putting Effective Language Access into Action Language Access in a CAC/MDTSetting? What considerations need to be taken into account? Case Flow Chart - See handout 1 Case Flow Chart Case Flow Chart 2: See hand out 2 Case Flow Chart (2) Language Access in a CAC/MDTSetting (2) • Intake/Referral • Mental Health • Counseling/Referrals • Initial contact with family • Medical • CAC visit • History and Physical Exam • Greeting • Pre/Post Meeting • Prosecution • Court Prep • Forensic Interview • Trial and Testimony • Victim Advocacy • Follow-up and Ongoing • Referrals for services services • Victims Comp Poll: • How are you currently providing interpretation services for children and families while at the CAC? • Bilingual Staff/MDT Members • In-person Interpretation (Outside Service) • Phone Interpretation • Children/Family Members Questions to consider • How are we assessing language access needs? • How are people able to communicate their needs? • Who is capable/responsible for addressing these needs? • What are they able to provide? • What are the limitations? • What would be better? Who is responsible for ensuring Language Access? Why approach language access from an MDT perspective? Case Flow Chart 2: See hand out 2 Case Flow Chart (3) Practical Skills for Working with Interpreters True or False… Being fluent in two languages qualifies a person to be an interpreter? Working with Interpreters 1. Interpreting is a profession which requires training, certification, adherence to ethics 2. There are different types of interpretation – practice and planning will help identify what kind of interpretation is needed 3. Developing and establishing relationships with interpreter agencies/services is essential Working with Interpreters (2) 4. Understanding interpreter qualifications, specializations and certifications is necessary to ensure appropriate language access service delivery 5. Identifying practical and meaningful strategies for working with interpreters will improve working relationships and streamline processes 6. Interpreters are governed by professional codes of conduct How Interpreters Are Trained Spoken Language • Must be proficient in the first and second languages (source and target) • Must be able to engage in cognitive tasks simultaneously • Must be able to adhere to the tenets of professional conduct, which include: impartiality, accuracy, and confidentiality Sign Language • Must possess mastery in American Sign Language • Must have at least an associate arts degree in interpretation from technical colleges or university • Must have a bachelor’s degree (for ASL interpreters) • Must pass Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) testing in order to obtain RID certification and/or state license Modes of Interpretation Spoken Language • Simultaneous: The process of orally rendering one language into another language virtually at the same time that the speaker is speaking • Consecutive: The process of orally rendering one language into another language after the speaker has completed a statement or question • Sight Translation: The rendering of material written in one language into spoken speech in another language Modes of Interpretation (2) Sign Language • Interpreting: The process of transmitting spoken language (English for example) into Sign Language and/or gestures, and vice versa, for communication between deaf and hearing people • Transliteration: The process of transmitting spoken language into any one of the several English-oriented varieties of manual communications between Deaf and hearing people. Skills, Qualifications, & Specializations to Look for in Interpreters • Do they have proper proficiency and mastery in English and the interpreted language? • Can they interpret using either the consecutive or simultaneous modes of interpretation? • Do they have knowledge and use of a broad range of vocabulary, subject- specific terminology, and slang? • Do they have knowledge and use of cultural nuances, regional variations, idiomatic expressions, and colloquialisms in all working languages? Do they speak with proper pronunciation, diction, and intonation in all • working languages? Who Should NOT Serve as an Interpreter* • Social Worker • Advisor • Counselor/Therapist/any Mental Health professional • Lawyer or Paralegal • Advocate or staff who knows ASL or the language of theLEP person • Mentor • Friend/Family member • Teacher/Educational assistant/school personnel • Police Officer • Church Interpreter (who is often not trained/certified) Who Should NOT Serve as an Interpreter* (2) • Children and family members should NEVER be used! Why? ❏ Traumatic and personal details ❏ Untrained skills lead to inaccuracy, summarization, and ❏ Incomplete information ❏ Advice ❏ Barriers to your professional job ❏ Individual may be subpoenaed to testify because not a qualified interpreter Summary Interpretation • Summarization is not interpretation • Not allowed in legal and medical settings due to professional standards • Can cause crucial information in interviews or interrogations to be excluded • Untrained interpreters resort to this mode because they lack the skills for interpretation and cannot accurately reproduce rate of speech/signing and density of information Why is Developing a Relationship with An Interpreting Agency Important? ❏ It is a proactive way to ensure interpreting services are in place for a Deaf or LEP person in advance, instead of being reactive and causing confusion and delays ❏ It allows the interpreting agency to understand the CAC/MDT process and what you do, helping to ensure the best fitting interpreters are utilized ❏ Stress may be alleviated for both the interpreting agency and your organization ❏ Helps when challenges need to be addressed or changes need to be made Working with Interpreters: Strategies • Prepare your interpreters – process, names, jargon, abbreviations • If working with Deaf person → be next to the interpreter • If working with an LEP person → be opposite the interpreter • Look at the LEP or Deaf person, not the interpreter • Direct your questions and statements to the LEP or Deaf person • Pause at reasonable intervals Working with Interpreters: Strategies (2) • Check in occasionally for questions • Place yourself or the interpreter against a neutral background • Ask the Deaf person where he wants everyone seated • Do not talk while the Deaf person is reading a document • Do not use phrases such as “ask her” or “tell her” • Speak in first person, rather than third person Working with Interpreters: Strategies (3) • Speak naturally, at a reasonable pace • If possible, use the same interpreter for an ongoing service • Do not have side conversations with the interpreter • Create ground rules or common agreements regarding communication if needed Working with Interpreters: Considerations ❑The linguistic community (including Deaf) is a small community ❑Not all interpreters are trained in or thoroughly knowledgeable about DV/SA and trauma informed practices ❑Some interpreters may themselves be victims or perpetrators ❑You may need more time ❑Interpreters have privilege of power: having the status of being “Hearing” or can speak English. ❑Victims may specify a gender preference for an interpreter. You should consider time, resources, and any exigency. Telephonic Interpretation Best Practices 1. Get the ID number of the interpreter 1. Good Interpretation → Request same interpreter 2. Bad Interpretation → Report to customer service rep. or create an internal “DO NOT USE LIST” 2. Conflict Checks 3. Be assertive – interrupt the interpretation if you sense a side conversation or improper interpretation Ethics of Interpreters Accuracy Accuracy Integrity Impartiality Confidentiality Respect and Boundaries Professionalism Integrity Professionalism Respect and Impartiality Boundaries Confidentiality Considering Culture and Trauma A set of shared: beliefs values goals practices Culture is… … the attitudes and behavior characteristics of a particular group. A set of shared: • beliefs • values • goals • practices Individual trauma results from… … a threat to one’s physical or emotional well-being, and elicits intense feelings of helplessness, terror, and lack of control. Trauma is characterized by feelings of: intense fear helplessness loss of control threat of annihilation Trauma is characterized by feelings of: • intense fear • helplessness • loss of control • threat of annihilation Source: American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, (4th ed., text revision), Washington, DC, 2000, in Nevada Network Against DomesticViolence Trauma-Informed Care Best Practices for Nevada’s Domestic Violence Programs. What do they have in common? What do they have to do with Language Access? Victim Equity Adult holding a child's hand Equity: providing survivors the support they need to achieve the same or comparable outcomes Linguistically and culturally responsive services are needed for D/HoH and LEP victims of crime to be safe and achieve justice. A Trauma-Informed Approach… Incorporates proven practices into current operations to deliver services that acknowledge the role that violence and victimization play in the lives of most of the individuals entering our systems. Source: Pat Davis-Salyer, M.Ed, Trauma Informed Care, DHS-Oregon State Hospital Education & Development Department A Culturally Humble Approach… “ability to maintain an interpersonal stance that is other-oriented (or open to the other) in relation to aspects of cultural identity that are most important to the [person]” • commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique • fix power imbalances • develop partnerships with people and groups who advocate for others Sources: Hook, J. N., Davis, D. E., Owen, J., Worthington Jr., E. L., & Utsey, S. O. (2013). Cultural humility: Measuring openness to culturally diverse clients. Journal of Counseling Psychology®. doi:10.1037/a0032595; Tervalon, M., & Murray-Garcia, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Undeserved, 9, 117-125. 48 Planning, Training and Practicing as a Team is Critical A joint project of: • National Center for Victims of Crime • Vera Institute of Justice • Alice Sykora, Consultant • Case de Esperanza: NationalLatin@ Network • Mujeres Unidas y Activas • Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence • IGNITE Additional Resources: • Translating Justice • Language Access Toolkit • Census Data on Languages • Casa de Esperanza • Leo Martinez: lmartinez@casadeesperanza.org Contact Info: Greg Flett gflett@nationalcac.org Reflections and Questions