Standardized Testing

ASL interpreters are often present in the classroom as educational interpreters. Similarly, interpretation is needed for providing instructions for standardized testing, such as the SATs in American schools. Sometimes the same educational interpreters can be called upon to interpret for standardized testing in their respective schools, but this might not be a certainty. The test may take place on a weekend and require a different interpreter to fill in, for example.

Standardized tests also don’t necessarily take place in a K-12 environment. For example, these tests might be taken to certify a job requirement or receive a passing grade to enter a special program.

American Sign Language and Foreign Sign Language

When we were asked to provide an interpreter for a patient who required Mexican Sign Language (LSM), we were able to send a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) who was familiar with both ASL and LSM. CDIs themselves are Deaf or hard-of-hearing and are native in sign language and Deaf culture.

The CDI assigned to this task was exceptional at interpreting between ASL and LSM. However, due to the fact that the CDI could not vocalize the client’s needs to the hospital staff, a second interpreter — this one for ASL — was brought in to interpret between the CDI and the staff. Thus, the communication flow looked like this:

Patient > CDI > ASL Interpreter > Hospital Staff, and vice versa.

The interpretation was successful in large part thanks to the hospital interpreter manager who was able to inform us ahead of time that they would require LSM, which gave us the time to comb through our large network of interpreters and send a right fit. The ability to identify a proper language is a very important prerequisite for a successful and smooth interpretation encounter. The hospital was our county’s public hospital Natividad Medical Center. Their excellent caregiving to the patient and hospitality to our interpreters were highly commendable. We appreciate all the hard work involved on all sides and are honored to share such an excellent work between foreign sign language and American sign language interpretation.

MONTEREY, California – March 29, 2017 – This evening Monterey Language Services (www.montereylanguages.com) provided Instant Translation for a Seaside, California meeting with an expected turnout of over 400 attendees.

The issues surrounding sanctuary cities have recently become a source of major concern for many of us in California and the country. In order to give ordinary people the chance to have their opinions on this important topic heard, the City of Seaside – not far from Monterey Language Services’ base in Monterey – organized a public meeting devoted to sanctuary cities – with an expected turnout of hundreds of people.

Monterey Language Services implemented an Instant Translation solution, in which the meeting was presented in English but instantly translated into Spanish with the translation displayed visually on a screen. Audience members were also able to read the translation on their phones, tablets, and other personal devices. Follow the link to see Instant Translation in action: https://youtu.be/dRP5lQHQ0tM

This real-time display of translation proved to be a success and made the important content of the meeting accessible to everyone. “Tonight’s meeting is a testament to the method’s suitability for large audiences. When it comes to providing cross-cultural communication for very large audiences, Instant Translation is a time- and cost-effective solution,” says Mei-Ling Chen, Director of Monterey Language Services.

When the City of Seaside approached Monterey Language Services with a request for a Spanish language option for tonight’s meeting, Monterey Language Services was happy to take on the challenge: “What sets us apart from the competition,” says Mei-Ling Chen at Monterey Language Services, “is finding solutions that meet our clients’ needs. That’s our strength.”

The usual method of simultaneous interpretation with a sufficient number of headsets, transmitters, and receivers to accommodate such a large audience proved too expensive. Instead, Monterey Language Services presented a cost-effective solution that addresses the City’s needs: a method that can service a full house without adding extra hours to the meeting’s duration because of language interpretation needs.

For more information, please contact Mei-Ling Chen at 831 655 3460 or mei-ling@montereylanguages.com

Monterey Language Services is committed to bridging the world’s languages by providing high quality, professional and efficient translation & interpretation services in over 175 languages.

Contact Information
Mei-Ling Chen
Monterey Language Services
http://www.montereylanguages.com
831-655-3460