The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2022 - 20

Interpreters Association
(UMTIA), an ATA chapter,
has also been involved in this
partnership. The collaboration
was informed by the
American Speech-LanguageHearing
Association's
principles of interprofessional
practice, part of the
organization's strategic
plan. Interprofessional
practice encourages SLPs
to " learn about, from,
and with colleagues from
different specialties " to
improve outcomes for
students.6
The principles
of community engagement
enhance interprofessional
practice with the goal
of forming long-term,
reciprocal relationships. The
relationships among these
organizations are based
upon mutual respect, similar
values, and a common goal:
y Interpreters and
SLPs specialize in
communication.
y Interpreters and SLPs work
in both health care and
school settings.
y Interpreters and SLPs
are bound by codes of
ethics and professional
standards.
y Interpreters and SLPs
need to work together
to establish parameters
for serving multilingual
children and adults
with communication
impairments.
This collaboration has
resulted in a dynamic
training where interpreters
and SLPs come together to
exchange information and
define professional practices.
Dynamic Duos
Dynamic Duos is an
annual forum for SLPs and
interpreters co-sponsored
by ISG, UMTIA, MNSHA, and
the Minnesota Department
of Education. When the
planning first began for
this event, it was important
to identify representatives
from all organizations that
were willing to move in the
direction of bi-directional
training and put in the
necessary time to establish
trust. An essential step was
to discuss the terminology of
speech-language pathology
and interpreting to gain an
understanding of the basic
the convenience of school
employees vs. outside of
paid working hours to
accommodate the schedules
of freelance interpreters.
y Continuing Education:
Determine the continuing
education needs of school
employees vs. freelance
interpreters.
y Location: Determine a
location that was low cost,
centrally located, and had
available free parking.
Four Dynamic Duos forums
have been held to date as
in-person events, with an
interruption in 2020 due to
the pandemic. Forums were
The availability of qualified
bilingual speech-language
pathologists in no way matches
the linguistic diversity of the
U.S. student population.
differences in how the fields
define terminology such as
" language " and " fluency. "
Once the decision was made
to hold a collaborative forum,
the planning committee also
had to negotiate significant
differences in " conference
culture " between speechlanguage
pathologists and
interpreters, including:
y Registration Procedures:
Determine whether to offer
registration in advance vs.
the day of the event.
y Materials: Determine
the comfort level of
both groups with digital
handouts vs. print.
y Scheduling: Determine
whether to hold the event
during working hours for
20 The ATA Chronicle | March/April 2022
held on Saturday mornings to
accommodate the schedules
of freelance interpreters.
Each organization registered
its own members and
arranged for continuing
education units, charging
their members a small
fee to cover the cost. The
Minnesota Department
of Education has paid the
registration fee for school
employees as an incentive
to attend outside of regular
working hours.
A common element for
each Dynamic Duos forum
has been the opportunity
for SLPs to learn about
professional interpreting
standards and practices and
for interpreters to learn more
about the field of speechlanguage
pathology and
communication disorders.
(We've found that many SLPs
are unaware that professional
ethics and standards
for interpreters exist.)
Forums have also included
presentations of case studies
of specific activities by SLP/
interpreter groups, including
challenges and solutions that
can be put into practice to
best serve clients.
Through discussions
and post-forum surveys,
participants have identified
critical linguistic and cultural
issues. For example:
y How can SLPs and
interpreters navigate
cultural attitudes
toward disabilities?
y What are best practices
for interpreting in
languages that lack
corresponding vocabulary
for technical terms?
y How can SLPs become
more aware of these
linguistic and cultural
challenges?
Other issues that have
been identified through
these discussions fall within
the day-to-day logistics
of working professionals.
For example:
y SLPs need to schedule more
time for pre- and postsessions
with interpreters
(briefing and debriefing),
but scheduling software and
billing may pose barriers.
y Interpreters have concerns
for professional liability if
they contribute information
used when determining
eligibility for special
education services, but some
employers don't currently
provide liability insurance.
The Dynamic Duos forums
have taught us valuable
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The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2022

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