Working with Limited-English Proficient Clients

As legal services advocates, you have seen first-hand that the client population you serve has become increasingly diverse -- racially, ethnically and linguistically.  You may have been called upon to interpret for your colleagues, or you may have experience using interpreters to work with clients who are limited English proficient.  These experiences might have left you wondering: have I got the whole story?  Are we providing equal access to equal justice for clients who are limited English proficient?

In this training, we will take you to observe a client meeting at a legal services office where an interpreter is present to facilitate the communication between the client and the lawyer. 

• You will hear the perspectives of this meeting from the advocate, the interpreters and the client. The meeting will follow the six stages of working with an interpreter:
• Preparing for the interview;
• Setting the stage;
• Communicating clearly;
• Managing the flow of information;
• Managing the triadic relationship; and
• Closing the interview.
• We will highlight some best practice tips on working with clients who are limited-English proficient; 
• You will engage in a series of interactive exercise to test your knowledge on working with interpreters; and,
• You will have access to the CLAE website for a list of resources and references that is updated periodically.