Guidelines for AAC Interpreters

The Role of an AAC Interpreter

Supporting an AAC User in Conveying Messages

Supporting an AAC User in Understanding What a Service Provider is Saying

The Role of an AAC Interpreter   [Top]

The Roles of an AAC interpreter is:

• to assist with communication between an AAC user and another person (service provider, etc.).


• to "interpret" what the AAC user is communicating – not to speak for the AAC user.


• primarily to support the AAC user in conveying messages to the service provider.


• in some cases, to support the AAC user in understanding or clarifying what the service provider is saying.

Supporting an AAC User in Conveying Messages   [Top]

• Ensure that you know how the AAC user communicates.


• Remain neutral and impartial on all topics discussed. You must refrain from altering a message for political, religious, moral or philosophical reasons or out of any other biased or subjective considerations. If you are unable to do this, you should withdraw from the interpreting assignment.


• Sit to the side of the AAC user (ask the AAC user which side she prefers) and slightly behind, but in a position where you can see when she wants to begin communicating. When interpreting, move your chair forward to a place where it’s easiest to "read" the AAC user’s communication. When you are finished interpreting, move back to encourage conversation between the AAC user and the service provider.


• Avoid being too animated or drawing attention to yourself. Use your eyes and body language to direct the service provider to converse directly with the AAC user.


• Avoid private "talk" with the AAC user during the discussions. Do not engage in laughing, teasing or joking behaviour.


• Do not comment, ask questions or engage in the discussion unless you are invited to do so by the service provider or the AAC user.


• Say the word selected by the AAC user out loud and then – if the AAC user does not correct you – proceed to the next word. Make sure that the service provider hears each word. For long messages, you may need to write down what the AAC user is communicating. When you are finished interpreting, destroy or shred any written notes you have made. (If the service providers is required to keep a record of written notes, the AAC user must be informed before the session of why and how this record will be used.)


• Interpret words, not meanings. For example, if the AAC user communicates "Woman glasses bad," say these exact words to the service provider. Do not embellish or seek more information ("Are you talking about Mary? Did she say mean things to you?").


• You can provide assistance if you know information that the AAC user is having difficulty communicating to the service provider, but only if the AAC user authorizes you to do so. Such situations may involve words that the AAC user does not have a way to communicate or information about the sequence of events in an incident that may be complex to communicate and easy to misinterpret.


• Supporting an AAC user when she does not have a specific word:
  If you know the context (person, place, etc.), ask the AAC user’s permission to suggest some words within that category. For example: "Are you talking about someone who works with you?" AAC user signals "Yes." "Is it a man?" AAC user signals "Yes." "Do you want me to say some names of the men who work with you? " etc. See Guidelines for Communicating with a Person who Uses AAC.
• Supporting an AAC user when he is having difficulty conveying a complex message about an event:
  If the service provider is unable to understand the events and relevance, and if you have this background knowledge and believe you can assist in clarifying the situation, ask the AAC user if you can assist. If the AAC user agrees, ask the service provider for a few minutes of privacy. Then, in private, ask the AAC user if it is about a specific event and if you can provide the details to the service provider. Some AAC users will want this level of support and others will not. Make sure you have the AAC user’s permission.

Supporting an AAC User in Understanding what a Service Provider is Saying   [Top]

Do not assume the need for this level of interpretation. It is important to ascertain whether the AAC user requires assistance in this area and to respect the AAC user’s decision.

• Be as concrete as possible. Avoid figures of speech that can be confusing (rule of thumb, tongue in cheek, etc.) and metaphors (two peas in a pod, heard through the grapevine, etc.).


• Try to use associations to help the AAC user provide the information required (e.g. "Can you remember what you did that day? was it a day you went swimming? a day you went to your literacy class?", etc.).


• Use closed response sets to help focus the AAC user on a context (e.g. if the question is about a place, support the AAC user by turning to the page of places in her display).


• Add information to support words that the AAC user may not know. Use examples that are relevant to his life (e.g. "She’s asking about the staff – that’s the people who work with you, the people who get you up in the morning, help you at meal time," etc.).


• Use pictures to support understanding. For example, the service provider might talk about different options and want to know the AAC user’s preference. You might point to pictures that represent the options as they are being spoken ("You could tell the police [point to police picture], tell the manager [point to manager picture], get someone to help you write a letter" [point to picture of letter]). The AAC user can then see and hear the possibilities at the same time and can use the pictures to convey her choice.


• Know the AAC user’s style of responding. If he is comfortable telling you that he does not understand, use frequent verifications (e.g. "Do you understand the question?"). If he doesn’t feel comfortable with this method, or demonstrates a tendency to please or comply, use your discretion in using a combination of the strategies here to support comprehension.

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