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SPANISH / ENGLISH

INTERPRETER BANK (SEIB)

Is a free, shared resource, created to lower the language barrier experienced by Spanish-speaking victims navigating systems in order to help them to acquire happiness, safety, and self-sufficiency. 

 

Latinos in Virginia Empowerment Center's SEIB program strives to ensure that monolingual Spanish-speaking victims of violence do not hear the phrase “I’m sorry, I don’t speak Spanish” when seeking services. The SEIB team will work with service providers to achieve this for their clients at no cost.

 

What we believe:

  • Advocates should not have to compromise the quality of their services by extending their capacity to include interpretation 

  • Bilingual staff members are not always trained to be interpreters, and even when they are, mixing their roles may create a conflict of interest.

  • When impartial peers, children, or family members of victims are used as interpreters there is a great potential for secondary victimization and may create additional problems for the agency and the victim as well.

 

What we offer:

  • Easy web-based scheduling

  • Free access to trauma and culture informed interpreter team who are familiar with settings with which victims often interact (legal, law enforcement, social services, etc.)

  • Virtual, Phone, and In-person services

 

Our Interpreters:

  • Have taken victim or trauma-centered training in order to render services with a trauma-informed practice.

  • Go through intensive specialized training on our interpreter ethics and protocols, with a paramount emphasis on confidential and neutral interpretation

  • Are screened to demonstrate excellence in both English and Spanish as bilingual interpreters and provide proof of proficiency upon applying (testing, certification, degree, etc.)

How it Works:

Once your agency has identified a need for Language Access Services for Spanish speaking victims of crime:

 

FOR ORGANIZATIONS:

• Fill out an application and email it to Hola@Latinosenvirginia.org 

(Download the application here)

• Your agency signs an MOU and designates two points of contact as interpreter liaisons

• Designated individuals attend our Interpretation services ethics and protocols training

• You schedule appointments with our interpreters through our simple web-based system
 

*note: SEIB does not provide translation services. Please contact us for further questions or details.

 

FOR VICTIMS SEEKING INTERPRETATION SERVICES:

Si usted es una víctima de violencia y le gustaría acceder a un intérprete, por favor contácte nuestra Línea de Ayuda

al (888) 969-1825

Dowload our

Brochure:

SEIB Service Providers Front

JOIN OUR SEIB TEAM:

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Qualifications

Interpreting for victims of violent crime is typically more intense and complex than general interpreting and thus requires specialized training in addition to linguistic expertise.  It poses a number of specific challenges, such as not allowing one’s feelings to become visible and developing strategies to avoid re-traumatizing the survivor during situations that develop, including the involvement of an interpreter. 

 

Our interpreters must

  • have at least 40 hours of foundational training in how to be an interpreter

  • provide indication of proficiency (testing, certification, degree, etc)

  • have taken victim or trauma-centered training to be able to work with victims of crime. 

  • be screened to excel in both English and Spanish as a bilingual interpreter

  • demonstrate in-depth knowledge and practice of the CODE OF PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR COURT INTERPRETERS, they will be held up to this standard.

 

This experience is REQUIRED in order to work with victims of violence, and only trained, professional interpreters will be included. 

 

Our interpreters:

  • Are able to enunciate/articulate in both languages and has a clear speaking voice.

  • Do not pause unnecessarily or excessively.

  • Interpret everything, including side conversations, insults, curse words, and environmental sounds.

  • Maintains impartiality, not interjecting bias, opinions, or favoritism towards certain persons in setting while working.

  • Corrects themselves when interpreter errors are made and informs parties.

  • Asks for clarification when appropriate.

  • Does not summarize. 

  •  Does not accept a job if the client is not comfortable with the interpreter due to past experiences, unmatched skills, linguistic struggles or unfamiliarity, or opposite gender/ generational discomfort.

  • Checks in during breaks to make sure everyone is getting the information and asks if adjustments are needed.

  • Uses first-person as a conduit and refers to themselves as “the Interpreter” to ask questions.

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Training, Support, and Education: 

Latios in Virginia Empowerment Center will provide additional trauma-informed interpretation training with BREAKING SILENCE: Interpreting for Victim Services for our SEIB team. This is training that focuses on working with victims of crimes and will be provided by an Interpretation Certified Instructor. Breaking Silence focuses on working with victims of crime, what it means to be victim-centered and trauma-informed, vicarious trauma, and victim services vocabulary. Role-playing and completing exercises ahead of time is essential in preparing an interpreter for the heavy nature of victim services work.

 

Twice a year, interpreters will participate in training stressing the importance of language access and how to work with the LIVE Center’s services. The manager of the interpreters team will also inform them about webinars and other available resources as they arise. 

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