Interpreter Bank Model David Steib – Language Access Director at Ayuda, Washington, DC National Resource Center for Reaching Victims of Crime logo; Helping those who help others vision 21 logo - Office of Victims of Crime-funded project Today’s Agenda Definitions • Introduction to Ayuda • Organization • Language Access Program • Demographics of area • Description of Ayuda’s Interpreter Banks • History • Funding • Interpreter qualifications and training • Usage/ Staffing / Coverage • Other services • Challenges / Benefits / Alternatives • Questions Globe with text in different languages, including an image of sign language Definitions 3 Language Access Language Access consists of ensuring that persons who: • Have limited or no English language proficiency, or • Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing …are able to access information, programs, and services at a level equal to English-proficient, hearing individuals. 4 What do we mean by Interpreter Bank? • A free, shared resource, created for the good of an entire sector, to meet language access needs with: • Document translation • Telephonic and video interpretation* • In-person interpretation by specially-trained interpreters* *Sign and spoken language interpreters 5 Ayuda 6 Ayuda - Mission Mission - Ayuda envisions a community where all immigrants overcome obstacles in order to succeed and thrive in the United States. We Mission - Ayuda envisions a community where all immigrants overcome obstacles in order to succeed and thrive in the United States. We realize our vision by advocating for low-income immigrants through direct legal, social, and language services; training; and outreach in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. 7 Ayuda - Services • Services o Immigration law o Domestic violence and family law o Case management o Therapy o Interpretation and translation • Populations served – Immigrants from anywhere in the world living in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC 8 Language Access Program Meets the language access needs of: • 94 legal and victim s ervices organizations for f ree (using grant funding) • paying clients (law firms and nonprofits not covered by a grant) Services are delivered through: • Victim Services Interpreter Ba nk • Community Legal Interpreter Ba nk smiling client Washington DC’s Community About 40,800 people, or more than 6 percent, of DC residents age 5 and older are limited-English proficient or non-English proficient (LEP/NEP) • 65% of these individuals are Spanish-speakers • Other top languages are Amharic, French, and Chinese • Other languages include Vietnamese, Russian, and Filipino/Tagalog About 7,094 people in Washington, DC have hearing difficulty (ages 18-64) Washington DC flag 10 Maryland’s Community About 398,407 people, or about 7 percent, of Maryland residents age 5 and older are limited-English proficient or non-English proficient (LEP/NEP) Among them: • 211,311 speak Spanish • 32,467 speak Chinese • 20,436 speak Korean • 12,989 speak French • 10,458 speak Amharic, Somali or other Afro-Asiatic languages About 56,628 people in Maryland have hearing difficulty (ages 18-64) 11 Virginia’s Community • About 472,781 people in Virginia (age 5 and older) speak English less than “very well” • About 6% of the population • Among those LEP/NEP individuals, many languages are spoken: • 244,190 speak Spanish • 32,552 speak Korean • 21,626 speak Vietnamese • 27,988 speak Chinese • 15,704 speak Arabic 12 In the United States • More than 25,600,000 US residents ages 5 and older, or 8.5%, speak English less than “very well” • 64% of these individuals are Spanish-speakers • Other top languages are Chinese and Vietnamese • More than 11 Million people in the US have hearing difficulty 13 Ayuda’s Interpreter Banks 14 History 2004 – DC passes Language A ccess Act 2007 – DC commits to Access to Justice Initiative Funding 2007 – Community Legal Interpreter Bank is created 2013 – Legal Bank expands into Montgomery County, MD 2014 – Victim Services Interpreter Bank is created 2018 – Legal and Victim Banks expand into Virginia 2019 – Victim Bank expands into Maryland Funding – Community Legal Interpreter Bank DC B ar Foundation • Access to Justice Program Initiative • DC Council Funded • DC Code (“shared legal interpreter bank”) Montgomery County Maryland • County Council and County justice scales Funding – Victim ServicesInterpreter Bank DC Office o f Victim Services and Unrestricted funding Justice Grants • Fee for service revenue • Local funding -initially • Conferences or trainings • Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) • Nonprofits funding -currently • Corporate donations Maryland Governor’s Office o f Crime Control & Prevention • VOCA funding Program funding pie chart: 4% : Corporate Donations, 4% Earned revenue, 27% DC Office of Victim services and justice grants, 31% DC Bar foundation; 30% Maryland Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention, and 4% Montgomery County Program Funding 18 What makes this model unique? Specially-trained Interpreters • Interpreters accepting assignments have: • At least 40 hours of foundational training in how to be an interpreter (or extensive working experience) • Indicia of proficiency (testing or certification) • Specialized training in victim services (for victim bank) or in working with lawyers and their clients (for legal bank) Indicators of Proficiency a nd Training in Basic Skills • Federal Court Certification • Bachelor or Master’s Degree in Interpreting • State Department Rating as a Conference-level Interpreter • State Court interpreter • Certified with the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf • Proficiency only: Qualifying score o n nationally recognized language s kills test Trainings offered by Ayuda, free of charge 21 The Language of Justice The “Language of Justice,” developed by Ayuda and Cross-Cultural Communications, is a three-day training that covers: • Attorney/Client Privilege • Confidentiality • How to Avoid the Unauthorized Practice of Law Interpreting in court is different than interpreting in an out-of-court setting. 22 Breaking Silence “Breaking Silence” is a four-day training, developed by Ayuda and Cross-Cultural Communications, that covers: ◦ Working with victims of crime ◦ What it means to be victim-centered and trauma-informed ◦ Vicarious trauma ◦ Victim services vocabulary Role playing and completing exercises ahead of time is essential in preparing an interpreter for the heavy nature of victim services work. Breaking Silence Interpreting for victim services book cover: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5597f49ce4b07b7dda504921/t/5995f33b1e5b6c564a79fe40/1502999358619/Breaking+Silence+Training+Manual.pdf We Also Offer Training to Lawyers and Victim Advocates • Let the interpreter make his or he r introduction • If t he interpreter us es a dictionary, that is not (necessarily) a bad thing• Interpreters need breaks • Don’t ask t he interpreter t o help the client fill out forms alone • Considerations with regard to placement in the room • The interpreter w ill interpret everything • Don’t ask t he interpreter t o provide cultural background • When to use a Certified Deaf Interpreter Support / Education • Annual provider training for each interpreter bank • Nonprofits send one or two representatives • 2-hour training • Importance of language access • How to access Ayuda’s services • Webinars • Help over email / phone • Visits to the staff meetings of nonprofits / on-site trainings • Speaking at conferences 25 Usage / Staffing / Coverage 26 Victim Services Interpreter B ank In a given year, the Victim Services In order ( telephonic a nd in-person): Interpreter Bank will arrange • Spanish interpretation (telephonic and in- • Amharic person) for approximately: • American Sign Language -1,021 sessions in Washington, DC • French -144 in Northern Virginia (all in- person) • Vietnamese -Maryland Bank is brand new • Ethiopian Sign Language Victim Services Interpreter Bank (2) •More than 60 interpreters accept assignments from the bank •Interpreters work in 14 different languages •More than 40 victim service providers serving Washington, DC; 20 serving Maryland; and 8 serving Northern Virginia Community Legal Interpreter Bank • In a given year, the Community Legal Interpreter Bank w ill arrange interpretation (telephonic and in- person) for approximately: • 3,103 sessions in Washington, DC • 94 in Montgomery County (all in-person) • 36 in Northern Virginia (all in-person) In order (telephonic and in- person): • Spanish • Amharic • American Sign Language • Mandarin • French • Vietnamese Community Legal Interpreter Bank (2) • More than 95 interpreters accept assignments from the bank • Interpreters work in nearly 25 different languages • 40 legal service providers serving Washington, DC; 24 serving Montgomery County, MD; and more than 10 serving Northern Virginia 30 Interpreters Independent Contractors • Contracts • W-9s Application • Resumes • Trainings • Rates • Services • Background checks • Proficiency tests • Salesforce profiles • Payment through Bill.com 31 Language Access Program (2) 32 Advisory Board Meets every four months Members: • Legal service providers • Interpreter services • Subject matter experts 33 Salesforce Data: • Collection • Uploading • Storage • Reporting Automation: • Interpreter Scheduling • Invoicing • Uploading documents to be translated Salesforce (2) Users • Interpreters • Requesters (lawyers/victim advocates) • Ayuda staff Cost • Salesforce developer • Community licenses salesforce logo- words in a cloud Other Services Document translation • Third-party agencies Simultaneous interpretation • Equipment • Skills of interpreters Telephonic • LanguageLine Video Remote Interpreting • LanguageLine • InSight Challenges Funding: • Some clients are not covered by the grants that we have • The demand is greater than the supply • Grantors are not usually considering language access as a necessary/important cost Sign language: • Interpreters are in high demand • Must schedule far in advance • A team is often required • Higher rates / more expensive Challenges (2) Technology: • Problems with Salesforce • Relying on machines is impersonal • Expensive Fulfillment: • Must interpreters have special training? • Languages of lesser diffusion • Geography Benefits • Victim advocates and lawyers can focus on their vocations • Language Access Pr ogram handles: • Interpreter training • Interpreter vetting • Interpreter contracting • Interpreter scheduling • Budgeting (financial resources easily moved between organizations) Benefits (2) • Cross-sector data • Centralized payment of costs that need not be paid by multiple organizations • Creating an online interpreter scheduling system • Running background checks / proficiency tests • Annual Salesforce licenses Alternatives • Court interpreter lists • Maintaining a list shared with other providers in the area • Mini-trainings • Vetting volunteers • Bilingual staff • Line items in budgets 41 Resources •Ayuda’s Website •Language Access Program on Facebook •Breaking Silence : Language Services •Language of Justice Training Manual Contact David Steib • Language Access Director • david.steib@ayuda.com 43