Interpreting

Interpreters are selfless ambassadors. They do not represent themselves. Their purpose is to not to build a relationship with the people of the other culture, but to help Casas people build that relationship.

An interpreter will be tempted to turn away from a Casas person in order to engage with a person of the other culture. Instead, they should wait for the Casas person to say something in English, and then interpret their words into Spanish.

If you think about putting yourself in the shoes of the two people you are interpreting for, they each want to participate in the conversation. No one wants to watch two other people have a conversation in words they don't understand - they want to be part of the conversation.

A few practical guidelines:

· Quote directly, not indirectly. Don't say, "He said he wants to . . ." Instead, quote directly. Say, "I want to . . ." This helps the listeners feel like they are having a real conversation with the other person, not with you.

· Don't summarize. Say everything the speaker says. This way everyone feels included and honored.

· Don't have personal conversations between you and the person of the other culture when Casas people are present. This way everyone is a participant in the conversation.

· If necessary ask the speaker to pause so you can catch up.