Split screen - Female interpreter on left with blue background; Male interpreter on right with wood paneled backgroundDeveloped by Arlene Narvaez

Competencies Addressed:  Cultural competency, Assessing consumer language,  Specialized knowledge;

Time Required for Activity: 30 mins

Objective: 

  • Identify 2 general steps required in the immigration application and interview process.
  • Identify mode of communication used in Latinx culture
  • Identify code switching technique used in Latinx culture

In this activity, you will be working with a series of videos related to a VRS call  between a person using ASL and another person using spoken Spanish.  You will be working on building your assessment skills of the language used as well as gaining knowledge about the immigration process.

Prediction: Meeting the Participants

Watch the “Meet the Participants.”  This will introduce you to the two people on the call.  Pay attention to the ways that they use language and think about how that will affect your interpretation.

View video.  | View view with Spanish subtitles. | View view with English subtitles.

Focusing Question:   As the interpreter, would you use usted or tú form with this call?

Prediction: The VRS Call

 Watch this segment of the VRS call video until 1:07 seconds. Once you know what type of call this is, predict what type of questions the caller may have. Write vocabulary words in Spanish and English that may be used.  

View video.  | View view with Spanish subtitles. | View view with English subtitles.

Predicción: conozca a los participantes

Vea “Meet the Participants” (conozca a los participantes).  Esto le dará a conocer las dos personas en la llamada. Preste atención a las maneras en que utilizan el lenguaje y piense en cómo eso afectará su interpretación.

ver el video  | ver el video con subtítulos en español |  ver el video con subtítulos en inglés

Pregunta de enfoque: Como intérprete, ¿cuál forma utilizaras, usted o tú, con esta llamada?

Predicción: La llamada de servicio relevo on video VRS

Vea el segmento de el video de la llamada VRS hasta 1:07 segundos. En cuanto se entiende qué tipo de llamada es, piensa en qué tipo de preguntas la persona que llama puede tener. Escribe palabras de vocabulario en español e inglés que pueden ser utilizadas.

ver el video  | ver el video con subtítulos en español | ver el video con subtítulos en inglés

Check Your Work

What vocabulary items did you note as significant?

Here are some examples we noted:

Watch the Post-Call Reflections

Write what thoughts come to mind about the services the caller has received. What stands out about the hearing callers comments?

Write your thoughts on the communication style the interpreter is referring to.

  • What does the interpreter indicate is important about keeping up with current events with Latin American countries and Latin American pop culture, etc?
  • What other suggestions does the interpreter make about things to know?
  • What is the interpreter’s take away about trilingual interpreting work?
  • What are your thoughts on trilingual interpreting in VRS settings?

Check your work

Here are some thoughts we had on the questions about the reflections from the hearing caller and interpreter. This is not the only answer, but is provided to support you in your analysis as something to compare your thoughts to.

Watch the Post-call interview with the Hearing caller:

Write what thoughts come to mind about the services the caller has received.

For example: She mentions good and bad experiences and gives her thoughts on possible reasons.

What stands out about the hearing callers comments?

For example: she says she forgets she’s talking to a deaf person when the interpreter is skilled, and she seamlessly switches to Spanish to finish her thoughts (code-switching).

Watch the Post-call interview with Interpreter:

Write your thoughts on the communication style the interpreter is referring to.

For example: she says in Spanish, you begin a sentence, and then everything after that sentence is implied. This refers to high context communication.

What does the interpreter indicate is important about keeping up with current events with Latin American countries and Latin American pop culture, etc? What other suggestions does the interpreter make about things to know?

For example: she suggests knowing common nicknames in Spanish

What is the interpreter’s take away about trilingual interpreting work?

What are your thoughts on trilingual interpreting in VRS settings?