The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2022 - 28

learning and growth is
emphasized in the first
session. Participants are
invited to submit their
logs to us at any time and
receive thorough feedback
about their bilingual skills.
y Along with these
comments, participants
receive detailed reference
letters characterizing
their skill level, in which
we raise awareness about
the professionalization of
community interpreters
and suggest the full 40hour
training as the next
essential step in their
growth. The reference
letters serve an important
purpose, especially in
small communities where,
due to a variety of factors
such as limited access
to the study of world
languages and cultures
in K-12, the importance
of bilingual skills and
intercultural competence
may be misunderstood or
underestimated.
Even when
undertaken
with the best
of intentions,
volunteer
community
interpreting in
small towns
entails particular
hazards.
back considerably, to four
2.5-hour sessions, and began
describing our workshop
series as a " gateway " to
the field of community
interpreting. Whenever local
participants want to pursue
the full 40-hour training,
we work with the Center
for Small Towns to secure
funding for them to do so.
Having completed the full
40-hour training ourselves,
we were surprised to hear
local participants report that
little of its content resonated
with rural experiences. Their
feedback prompted us to
reevaluate the content of
the workshop series and
further emphasize its unique
focus on our community. For
example, we now dedicate
more time to discussing how
28 The ATA Chronicle | March/April 2022
to handle confidentiality,
conflicts of interest, and role
boundaries in the specific
context of our small town.
Currently, all bilingual
school personnel have
completed the 40-hour
training, which has proven
to be immensely supportive
of local efforts. These
individuals schedule,
coordinate, and monitor
community interpreters on
parent-teacher conference
day. Additionally, bilingual
staff members are able to step
in when a suitable community
interpreter is unavailable.
We've taken several other
steps to ensure the quality of
community interpreters:
y The importance of a
reflective log of one's
y Interpreter knowledge
and skills are carefully
vetted. Trained community
interpreters who don't
seem ready for interpreting
instead translate school
and classroom-related
documents under the
supervision of school
personnel.
y Participants complete an
anonymous evaluation
of their experiences,
providing feedback we
rely upon to improve
the workshop for the
following year.
Another lesson we
learned is the importance
of grassroots collaboration.
As university faculty, we
naturally designed a program
based on our experience. We
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