Why Schools Should Avoid Using Ad Hoc Interpreters

It's August, and students across the country are settling into their new school year. As routine takes hold, parent-teacher conferences, IEP meetings, and disciplinary discussions approach. 

For the 5.3 million English learners in U.S. public schools and their families, these interactions can become sources of stress when language barriers aren't properly addressed. With districts facing budget constraints following expired federal COVID-19 relief funds, schools feel tempted to cut corners. However, the quick fix of using whoever's bilingual and available backfires in ways that damage trust, violate regulations, and harm families. 

What are ad hoc interpreters? 

Ad hoc interpreters are untrained individuals who step in to translate when schools don’t provide professional language services. This includes: 

• Students asked to interpret during family meetings 

• Bilingual staff interpreting IEP discussions 

• Family friends volunteering during parent-teacher conferences 

These helpers lack the specialized training that educational interpretation requires. Unlike certified interpreters, they haven't learned to handle complex terminology, maintain neutrality, or navigate sensitive conversations with appropriate cultural context. 

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act requires schools receiving federal funds to provide "appropriate and competent" language assistance. Federal guidance makes clear that being bilingual "is not a sufficient" qualification to serve as an interpreter in educational settings. Despite these requirements, many districts still rely on ad hoc interpreters.  

Real-world example: In 2023, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights received complaints about a Rhode Island district's "widespread use of untrained interpreters and translators" when communicating with parents. 

How using students, relatives, and staff as interpreters causes harm 

When schools use students, relatives, and staff as interpreters, these individuals experience emotional harm that can affect their academic performance, family relationships, and job satisfaction. 

Children experience stress and "role reversal" 

Research on "language brokering" (when children regularly translate for family members) shows that these children experience "elevated stress, anxiety, and academic difficulties" compared to their peers. Children lack the emotional maturity to handle sensitive topics like learning disabilities or disciplinary actions. This burden affects their ability to focus on learning.  

Child interpreters also disrupt family dynamics when they become communication bridges, creating unhealthy "role reversals" where parents become dependent and children assume authority positions. A documented Missouri case shows a boy forced to translate his sister's traumatic bullying experience, retraumatizing both siblings. 

Family members handle sensitive information without support 

Family members pressed into interpreter roles face emotional strain when handling sensitive information without professional support. They interpret during stressful situations involving their own relatives, making neutrality impossible. Parents, siblings, or relatives may filter information to protect feelings or lack the vocabulary for complex educational terms. Their inability to communicate accurately creates guilt when they can't convey messages properly. Family interpreters also risk violating privacy by learning confidential details about students they should not have access to. The emotional burden of mediating difficult conversations about their loved ones causes lasting stress and damages family relationships. 

Staff experience professional conflicts and burnout 

Bilingual staff pressed into interpreter duty experience productivity losses and job stress. Schools hire these employees as teachers, administrators, or support staff, not interpreters. When repeatedly asked to abandon primary responsibilities for impromptu interpretation, staff experience professional stress and resentment. Staff caught between primary responsibilities and unexpected interpreting demands experience burnout and job dissatisfaction, affecting retention and compromising both their original job performance and communication quality. 

Communication breakdowns and accuracy problems 

Ad hoc interpreters struggle with educational communication demands, creating problems that professional interpreters are trained to avoid. 

Educational terminology poses the first challenge. When Chicago Public Schools faced investigation, staff acting as impromptu interpreters "often have difficulties interpreting specific terms used in meetings" and couldn't convey content accurately. 

Beyond vocabulary, cultural context gets lost. Ad hoc interpreters might translate too literally or miss culturally important nuances that trained interpreters understand. 

Most critically, neutrality becomes impossible when personal relationships exist. Children soften difficult news to protect themselves or their parents. Staff interject opinions instead of purely translating.

The contrast with professional interpreters reveals just how significant these gaps are: 

These failures mean families receive incomplete information when clarity matters most, eroding trust and making collaborative partnerships nearly impossible. 

Legal compliance and privacy violations 

Using untrained interpreters exposes districts to federal investigations, lawsuits, and community backlash through two major legal violations. 

FERPA privacy breaches occur regularly. School discussions involve confidential student information, including grades, behavior reports, disability status, and health data. Ad hoc interpreters don't follow confidentiality standards and may not understand the sensitivity of shared information. 

Privacy violations happen when: 

• Students learn personal details about peers or siblings they shouldn't know 

• Family friends share private information in the community after meetings 

• Untrained interpreters access confidential records without proper authorization 

Title VI civil rights violations trigger federal action. Federal law requires schools to provide meaningful language access to limited-English-proficient parents. Using students or unqualified staff to interpret constitutes a denial of equal access. 

Eight families in Chicago sued their public school system, alleging that the lack of qualified interpreters at IEP meetings violated both the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Title VI. The court found evidence that parents were "denied meaningful language access." 

Poor language access creates community-wide reputation damage. When parents feel excluded, their frustration spreads and makes headlines, painting districts as indifferent to non-English-speaking families. 

Better alternatives to ad hoc interpreters 

Professional interpreters 

Professional remote interpretation connects schools with trained educational interpreters who specialize in complex educational terminology, cultural competence, and confidentiality standards. These interpreters provide accurate interpretation while maintaining strict neutrality and following FERPA privacy requirements. 

Schools access interpreters immediately when parents arrive unexpectedly or urgent communications arise. Districts scale usage based on actual needs, pausing services during summer breaks and resuming when school starts. This approach eliminates the burden on existing staff while ensuring professional support remains available. 

Students focus on their education while parents participate fully in discussions about academic progress and services. Teachers and administrators handle their primary responsibilities instead of taking on interpreter roles. 

Real-time speech translation 

AI speech translation serves multiple families simultaneously during larger meetings and presentations. Parents scan a QR code to access live interpretation on their own devices, and schools upload custom educational glossaries so the technology handles school-specific vocabulary and maintains consistency across all participants. 

Districts host multilingual parent orientation sessions, open houses, or board meetings where families speaking different languages participate in the same discussion. The platform generates downloadable recordings and transcripts, allowing families to review important information at home. 

Districts pay only for actual usage, making the service cost-effective for both recurring events and one-time meetings. The secure platform protects student information and meets Title VI requirements. 

Moving away from ad hoc interpreters 

Every day your school continues using ad hoc interpreters, students experience emotional stress, staff face role conflicts, and families struggle with poor communication. These problems compound over time, creating legal exposure and damaging the trust you've worked to build with your community. 

Fortunately, professional interpretation services provide an immediate solution. These services offer qualified specialists who handle educational terminology correctly, maintain neutrality, and protect confidential information according to federal standards. 

To learn more about implementing professional interpretation in your district, attend our webinar where we'll cover step-by-step implementation strategies for telephone interpretation services. You'll discover how to transform your communication approach and give every family the access they need to support their child's education.