Interpreters for Parent-Teacher Conferences

Find general guidelines and scheduling information for setting-up interpretation services for Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Due to high demand for interpreters for Parent Teacher Conferences (PTC), our office will not schedule any other type of meeting (for example IEP, EDT, SAT, FBA) on days specifically designated by the district for PTC.

Information for Parent-Teacher Conferences

All interpretations for Parent Teacher Conferences will be remote, via video with local interpreters, or via audio, through phone interpretation.
Please provide as much notice as possible for conferences and please specify on the request form, if you would prefer an on-demand phone interpreter or a video conference.

Questions?

Email us at translate@aps.edu with any questions.

General guidelines

Sign up students that need interpretation in blocks of time. That way one interpreter can service multiple families
Be sure to provide the meeting links, phone numbers and PINs for all video and scheduled phone interpreter meetings. See below for more information about permissions for meetings.
During the months of parent teacher conferences spread out the meetings throughout the month. We have interpreters available from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day

On-Demand Phone Interpretation

For phone interpretation, we provide a phone number and access codes so that the host of the meeting can make an outgoing call to connect with an interpreter. Google meet allows outgoing calls. There is no need to provide meeting link if this option is preferred.

Submit the request form by email, fill out the form on-line, or call us at (505) 881-9429, ext. 80070.

Video Conferences or Phone Conferences with Appointments

For video conferences and scheduled phone conferences please have teachers or the person conducting the conference:

Sign up students that need interpretation in blocks of time. That way one interpreter can service multiple families
Be sure to provide the meeting links, phone numbers and PINs.

Since meetings will be on-line, keep the following in mind so that our interpreters can join the meetings immediately. Our interpreters are independent contractors and do not have access to Google Suite through Gmail.

Given the hundreds of request we receive sending personal invitations for each meeting for each interpreter is something we would like to avoid, so please read below carefully:

Note 1: Admitting Interpreters into a Meeting

Only the host can admit our interpreters into the meeting. When the interpreter joins the meeting, Google Meet prompts the host to admit the interpreter into the meeting.

The host is the person that creates the meeting in their own google calendar.

If you are not the host and the host will not be present at the meeting then our interpreter will need a direct invitation in order to join the meeting. This may become a problem if someone other than the teacher does the scheduling of conferences.

Note 2: Share Calendar Meetings

Please let us know if the meeting was set up with a shared calendar. Once an interpreter is scheduled, an invitation must be sent to the interpreter. The interpreter cannot join the meeting unless the owner of the calendar is present.

Sometimes it is hard to tell who owns the calendar. Only the owner of the calendar can admit interpreters into the meetings without a direct invitation.

Note 3: Google Classroom Meetings

Meetings set up through Google Classroom only allows people within APS to join the meetings. Our interpreters are not APS employees and cannot be admitted into the meetings. Please make sure the meeting is not created through Google Classroom.

Scheduling Guidelines

The following are some guidelines to help ensure you get an interpreter during high volume days:

Please schedule conferences for the same languages consecutively as much as possible.
Please have multiple teachers schedule their conferences in blocks of time so that one interpreter can cover the conferences one right after the other.
Please keep in mind that a conference that takes 15 or 20 minutes under normal circumstances will take longer with an interpreter. Either the content of the conference should be modified to complete it in the time allotted, or the allotted time should be extended.
Please, if possible, have one staff member schedule conferences for the school. Having one point of contact for a school facilitates rescheduling and communication regarding scheduling.
To avoid no shows, please call Spanish speaking families a few days prior to the scheduled PTC to ensure attendance. Our office will call parents for languages other than Spanish to confirm attendance.
Please provide a complete schedule of conferences when submitting your request. We realize that scheduling takes a lot of coordination among teachers, but having available a complete schedule will allow us to provide the best service possible. Without the schedule, our office will not confirm an interpreter for any specific block.

Confirm Meetings with Parents

In order to minimize or even eliminate the number of no shows, we ask that parents be confirmed a day or two before the scheduled appointment.

For meetings requiring an interpreter, please provide our office with contact information for the family on the request form and our office will call the family to confirm attendance.

If a parent will not attend his/her scheduled meeting, please contact the Translation Services office by phone at (505) 881-9429, extension 80070 or by email at translate@aps.edu to cancel.

This page was last updated on: August 8, 2011.