The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2022 - 23

A
fter years of
borrowing from
the ethical codes
of other specialized fields,
translators and interpreters
working in K-12 educational
settings are coming together
to create their own code
of ethics and standards of
practice. The code will take
into account the reality of
this environment and how
multiple interpreting and
translation specializations
converge in this space.
Read on to learn how
a multi-state team of
professionals has taken the
lead in a consensus-based
approach with the goal of
standardizing practice and
advancing the recognition
of the role of practicing
professionals in this field.
The Dilemma
I still remember the first
time I interpreted for an
individualized education
program meeting. As an
experienced interpreter
with legal and health care
certifications who had taken
the time to prepare for this
job, I walked into a small,
crowded conference room
with about eight school
staff members present, not
counting the parent and
myself. We were there to
work on the preparation
of a legal document-the
Individualized Education
Plan (IEP)-a written plan
designed to meet a child's
learning needs. Everyone
wanted to provide their
input. Teachers, counselors,
therapists, and a school
administrator were all
speaking quickly, often
interspersing a hefty dose
of educational jargon
and medical terminology
pertaining to the student's
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health condition. My
dilemma: as an interpreter,
which code of ethics should I
apply in this situation?
This was not the typical
community interpreting
encounter. The session
merged education, legal,
and health care interactions
together in a single meeting,
conducted at high-speed to
cover all the required content
in the limited time allocated
for the meeting.
This is just one example
of the many types of
encounters that professionals
working in the field of K-12
education manage on a
regular basis, in addition
to interpreting for school
board meetings, graduation
ceremonies, informational
events, disciplinary hearings,
parent-teacher conferences,
and meetings with other
school professionals
and administrators.
Interpreting/Translation
in Education Is Here
to Stay
Translation and interpreting
in educational settings have
become established fields
in our industry. Experts
in education project that
the percentage of the
U.S. student population
from minority groups will
continue to grow. A quick
look at available data from
the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES)
in the past 18 years supports
this assertion.
According to NCES data
released for 20181, 53% of
the U.S. student enrollment
in public schools came
from a minority racial or
ethnic group, as compared
to 38.8% in 2000. This
increase can be partially
attributed to the growth
experienced by the Hispanic
student population (from
16.5% in 2000 to 27.2% in
2018).
Projections regarding
immigration show this
trend will continue in public
schools. For example, in
2021, the U.S. Refugee
Admissions and Refugee
Resettlement Ceiling
increased its cap on refugee
admissions to 125,000-up
from 62,500 in fiscal year
2021 and 18,000 in fiscal
year 2020.2
Furthermore, the
expected impact of climate
change on patterns of
human migration and future
refugee and resettlement
needs for climate displaced
populations will fuel
continued and diverse
immigration to the U.S.3
A Growing Field
of Specialization
During the past decade,
U.S. school districts have
faced enormous pressure
stemming from not only the
need to communicate with
families who don't speak
English fluently, but from
their legal obligations to
comply with language access
requirements. Title VI of the
1964 Civil Rights Act and the
Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act are the two
main laws driving these
efforts. According to a joint
communication from the
Civil Rights Division of the
U.S. Department of Justice
and the Office for Civil Rights
of the U.S. Department of
Education, " ...Schools must
communicate information to
limited-English-proficient
parents in a language they
can understand.... " 4
American Translators Association 23
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