Interpretation and Translation Services for School Districts
Phone Interpretation Vendors Under State Contract
Phone interpretation services allow staff members to directly communicate with families who do not speak English through an interpreter on the phone. This service can also be used to conduct in-person conferences with parents at the school site with the interpreter on speaker phone. Washington State Department of General Administration has a contract for telephone-based interpretation services, which any school or district that is part of the Washington State Purchasing Cooperative may arrange to use. Once a school or district has established an account, users can access interpreters in more than 170 different languages, 24 hours a day, every day of the year (no prior appointment is needed). The interpreter can even listen and identify the language that the parent is speaking. Cost varies between $0.82 and $0.98 per minute.
To learn more, review the details in the
state contract, or contact the vendors directly:
Online Training
Speak Your Languages, a service through Highline Public Schools, offers free online trainings for people working with translators and interpreters. It also offers online introductory interpreter and translator courses for bilingual speakers who have not had access to professional training, but are providing interpreting or translating services in the community or workplace.
Additional Resources
Quality Indicators for Translation and Interpretation in K-12 Educational Settings (PDF)
Guidelines and Resources for Educators (California Department of Education)
Find translations providers on contract with Washington State (Word)
Schools and districts are eligible for the pricing under this contract.
Puget Sound ESD – Bilingual Interpreter Consulting Services
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