The new experience of working with Auslan interpreters can create some apprehension, confusion and, for some teachers, concern. These feelings are natural, but they will resolve as you become more familiar with working with interpreters.

First and foremost, some teachers find it odd to have another person, who is not a student, in their classroom. This is the case when working with both notetakers and interpreters, but is often more evident when working with interpreters because of where they are positioned in the classroom.

Notetakers will sit next to the deaf student. Interpreters will stand at the front of the classroom, next to you, the teacher. This can make it appear that the interpreter is supplanting your role as the teacher. Nothing could be further from the truth! Interpreters position themselves as closely as possible to the teacher to make it clear that the teacher is the person who is conducting the class and is providing the information conveyed. The deaf student will look between the interpreter and you, thus allowing them to obtain a more complete picture of your communication with them.

It can take time to feel comfortable with having the interpreter next to you, but be assured that the interpreter's thoughts are so solely focused on the task of interpretation that they have little to no time for independent thought! The task of interpreting your message to the student and vice versa—whilst maintaining the integrity and intent of the message—means that the interpreter is using all of his/her resources to concentrate on the interpreting task.

Building rapport and teamwork with the interpreter benefits everyone in the relationship—you, the student and the interpreter. It means that you can work effectively together. The same is true when working with notetakers. However, this does not mean asking the interpreter or notetaker to participate in class. Whilst well intentioned and usually as the result of a desire to be friendly and inclusive, it is, nonetheless, inappropriate for either an interpreter or a notetaker to take part in the processes of the classroom learning. Both are there for the sole purposing of working to facilitate communication access between you, the deaf student and the other students in the classroom.

Likewise, any requests from ill-informed interpreters or notetakers to partake in a classroom activity or to use classroom resources (for example, using a computer for personal use during a class held in a computer lab) is inappropriate and the request should be declined.

To download for further information on working with notetakers and interpreters, click:Working with Interpreters and Notetakers (2003) (PDF)