Nonprofits navigate shortage of Spanish-language interpreters

By Charles Christian

Although there is no shortage of helpful nonprofit organizations in St. Joseph, many of these organizations in the area are struggling to find Spanish interpreters.

United Way President Kylee Strough said that most nonprofits are meeting the growing need for Spanish-language interpreters by networking together.

“Most of the time, we’re able to get through enough of what we need in order to help people connect to somebody more fluent in the language,” Strough said. “But, we have been fortunate to have the school district invest in people who can speak additional languages and be willing to share their resources to help families.”

AFL-CIO Director Nichi Seckinger said this subject is a source of constant conversation among nonprofit leaders in the area. She also said that networking with other nonprofits, including organizations like Latinos Connect, has been indispensable in meeting the growing needs of Spanish-speaking people in the area.

“Fees for outside interpreters can be awful at times,” Seckinger said. “Having a strong network of nonprofits in our area has been great. Lately, we have discussing the possibility of pooling our efforts in order to meet this growing need.”

St. Joseph is not alone in attempts to make better connections with the growing Spanish-speaking population. Nationwide, the Hispanic population has grown by just over 80% in the past decade, according to U.S. Census data. Maria Ramirez, director of Latinos Connect in St. Joseph, said that many larger cities waited too long to address the needs and find themselves far behind in trying to provide assistance for those who have needs during their time of transition.

“The need goes beyond simple interpretation of words,” Ramirez said. “An understanding of cultural realities is necessary to provide the best possible help.”

Most nonprofits without a Spanish-speaking interpreter on-site said the costs of outside translation and interpreter services are cost-prohibitive. Most are forced to try and bridge gaps with phone and computer apps alone. However, many times these apps come up short.

“We also need bilingual people who can take the roles of social workers,” Ramirez said. “We also need people who can take on roles within nonprofit organizations. This can foster deeper connection and allow the services provided to be more than a one-time event.”

Ultimately, the need for more Spanish-language interpreters is being addressed by special training provided by places like Hillyard Technical College. Bilingual employees of nonprofit organizations are often overwhelmed by the need for interpretation on top of doing their own jobs.

Pay scale for full-time interpreters can be from $60-$65 per hour. Outside interpreters often charge a monthly fee, as well as a “by-the-minute” charge for their call-in or Zoom services.

Sechinger at AFL-CIO said that pooling resources together might allow the area to have one or more shared interpreters who could make progress in meeting the language needs.

“Budgeting for these kinds of services should be a priority, maybe even for the city,” Ramirez said. “Because of the size of our city and the relatively slow growth of the Hispanic community compared to bigger cities, assistance from the city could be a proactive way to meet the need.”

Regardless of the challenges, Strough emphasized that both smaller and larger nonprofit organizations in St. Joseph approach all people with empathy and determination to do whatever it takes to assist them, regardless of language and cultural barriers.

Until either city or additional private funding happens, though, most nonprofits will continue to rely on translation apps like Google Translator to meet the growing need of Spanish translation for those in need.