What is the Role of an Interpreter Supervisor?

[Kelly] Hi! My name is Kelly Harris and today we're interviewing Lillah Harris, LAF SLS's Interpreter Supervisor, and we have some questions for you about the role of an Interpreter Supervisor.

First of all, we want to know what exactly is the role of an Interpreter Supervisor.

[Lillah] So as an Interpreter Supervisor with LAF SLS, I have a dual role.

My first role involves, supporting our interpreters. So whether that's by assigning them to interpreting assignments that I know they will be successful in based on their skill level, whether that is providing feedback or answering questions when they come up, being a resource, and also providing professional development opportunities.

And then the other side of it is kind of being a liaison between the interpreters and the Special Education teams that we work with.

[Kelly] Our next question for you. How does having an Interpreter Supervisor actually benefit the SPED team?

[Lillah] Very good question. And there are many benefits to working with an Interpreter Supervisor. So for the interpreters, the way that I am able to present feedback to the educational team is from them.

So I'm able to work one on one with the interpreters. They are able to provide specific feedback about how the student is progressing in their classes, how are they performing in their classrooms, you know, how are they interacting with other students and with the teachers?

What is their language level? And so then once that feedback is shared with me, then I can go on to share that information with the educational team.

So whether a student needs additional support or whether they are thriving in their classrooms, the educational team will be able to get that specific information from the interpreters that are working one on one with that student and be able to make decisions about these students' IEP and their educational plan from there.

So it's a very vital role that the Interpreter Supervisor plays as that liaison

between the interpreters and the Special Education team.

[Kelly] Awesome, wonderful. And we know that previous to now, you yourself were an interpreter in the classroom setting and mentee.

What are some of the things that you appreciated about having an Interpreter Supervisor from that point of view, or what was your experience like as a mentee?

[Lillah] Yes, I feel blessed to have had the experience that I did because when I was beginning as an interpreter, I worked with a large team of ten

different interpreters in the same school. And I worked with the Lead Interpreter, who was very experienced and very organized, and we knew

that she was always there. She was an open book. We were able to approach her with any question, and we knew we could have talked to each other as a group about any situation that arose and get feedback from different perspectives. She also always made sure that we were in assignments that we could be successful in, and we had plenty of professional development opportunities. And so that really showed

me what a strong and organized leader should look like. We know that the Interpreter Supervisor is part of the team that's working hard for the benefit,

not just of the student, and the interpreters, but also everyone on the team.

[Kelly] What are some of the reasons or things that they could bring to the attention of the Interpreter Supervisor?

[Lillah] Really, anything that is affecting the students. So as interpreters, as Special Education teachers, and administrators, we are there to give the student what they need to be successful in their education. And so for interpreters, I ask them to provide me with feedback on anything that is

going on in the classroom that directly affects the student, whether they are excelling, whether they have weaknesses that need some additional support, how they're interacting with their peers, you know, their social skills,

their language skills. And so I get constant feedback from our interpreters

about those types of subjects. And then I'm able to relay that information again to the educational team so that they can base the student's

educational plan on that feedback.

And it works both ways.

So with the administrators and the teachers that we work with, if there is anything that they are aware of that's affecting the student, whether it's something going on at home or a health issue or anything that could be different with the student, that could affect them in the classroom.

That's really important for the interpreter to know, so that they can adjust,

and so that they can continue to provide whatever support is needed

as well. So I think just open and clear communication both ways is definitely the key.

[Kelly] Well, we thank you so much, Lillah, for your time and explaining to us the role of an Interpreter Supervisor.

If you have a question about how to get in contact with our team and with Lillah, please contact us at the information below.

Call (337) 573-0509 or lafsls.com/contact us.