The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2024 - 25

Collaborating with educators and families of children with multiple or
low-incidence disabilities can provide interpreters and translators with
professional and personal opportunities for growth.
A
text flashed on my
phone: " Please go to
room 103-a mom
needs an interpreter. "
I wasn't one, but I played
one in this hospital. I was a
bilingual social worker who
had been turned into an
interpreter by default. No
one asked for verification of
language proficiency when I
was hired, but, somehow, my
language skills were assumed
to be up to par to manage a
meeting with a geneticist, a
pediatrician, a cardiologist,
and a distraught parent of a
child with a rare disorder.
I had never heard of this
child's congenital disorder
until that day, and I certainly
wasn't given enough time to
research its implications on
growth and cognitive skills.
Besides the complexity of
the terminology I had to
somehow convey in another
language without training,
I had to relay discouraging
news to the child's mother;
a task for which I was
emotionally unprepared.
After delivering the bad
news to the parent without
really taking the time to deal
with my sadness and sense
of helplessness, I moved on
to my next bilingual social
worker task, never imagining
I would see this parent again,
and certainly not this child.
Fast forward a few years. I
had left the medical setting
to work as a language
services administrator for
the largest school district in
my state. With 148 schools
under my responsibility, I
focused on building capacity
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and training interpreters
to not repeat the mistakes I
made earlier in my career.
That's when I received
another call: " We need you
in the main building for a
parent-teacher conference. It's
a complicated case. "
As I entered the building
and walked to the classroom,
I saw a familiar smile with
a familiar child. There she
was, starting a new phase
in her life, just like me. She
and her family had learned to
live with the challenges, the
stares, the complications,
and the gift of life with
whatever it brings.
Fast forward a few more
years, and I had the fortune
of seeing this child graduate
from high school, a major
accomplishment considering
her physical and neurological
impairments. She smiled as
everyone stared at her one
more time, only this time
with pride and admiration.
Her story made me a better
interpreter and certainly a
better person and encouraged
me to see beyond the
disability, the disorder, the
impairment, and instead
focus on the ability, the grit,
and the drive. She is my
" why " when I interpret for
children with multiple or
low-incidence disabilities.
She has also helped me
remain grounded and focused
on my main goal-to provide
equity in communication
through accurate and
complete information.
This remarkable child
also challenged me to
become a better linguist
and made me curious about
low-incidence disabilities
and rare disorders, helping
me explore the complex
terms that interpreters and
translators in education
and health care must often
relay-and sometimes
create-when working with
families. I learned to accept I
was not going to be prepared
100% to interpret or
translate terms related to the
over 7,000 rare diseases that
exist. However, I challenged
myself to arrive at meetings
as prepared as possible for
the terminology that would
be presented, along with the
confidence to ask questions,
intervene for clarification,
look up terms if needed, and
work in collaboration with
educators to ensure that my
interpretation was accurate
and complete.
Throughout my career as
a medical and educational
interpreter, I've been
fortunate to meet families
of children with some of the
rare disorders I will discuss
in this article. Their journey
became mine when we were
in the same room trying to
understand, figuring out
how to support the child, and
highlighting assets before
deficits. As interpreters and
translators, I encourage you
to explore this terminology
further, expand your personal
glossaries, and access the
resources available to support
families and educators as
they go through this journey
with you.
The reward of
seeing families
and educators
connect and
collaborate to
support a child's
academic,
social, and
emotional
growth thanks
to your skills
is a gift and
a privilege.
American Translators Association 25
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The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2024

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