Communicate With Non English Speaking Parent

[68nic]

Hi, Could anyone help me, I have to answer a question on how I would Communicate with a non English speaking Parent . Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Need to know by tomorrow :panic:

[Tink]

If it was me I'd contact my network co-coordinator and ask for help maybe an interpreter.
I'd also have all my paperwork written in the parents language and if it was a long term place I'd look into learning the language, and having posters and signs in the families language.

HTH i'm sure someone else will have other ideas

[sarah707]

I agree with Saz, I think the first thing is to get some help from an interpreter, either someone the parents bring with them or someone from your local area.

Then you need to find out how best to engage the child and again you will need advice.

Do you have a local Sure Start centre where you can go for help? :D

[68nic]

Yeah I think there is a sure start centre not far from me.But I think I will go with what you have both suggested, I also thought if the child is old enough he/she could explain more to the parent. Thank you both for your help. What would I do without this forum !!!;)

[Pipsqueak]

you might also translate your documents into the parents language either via a translator or via ie/BableFish on the internet
find some signs/symbols that you could both relate to and also words that you could print of in the parents home language.

[jumpinjen]

If the questions is about day to day communication with them about what their child has been doing that day, you could take digital pictures on the camera and show them either on the camera/ laptop or e-mail them to them to show them what the child has played with/joined in with that day.

jenni:)

[68nic]

you might also translate your documents into the parents language either via a translator or via ie/BableFish on the internet
find some signs/symbols that you could both relate to and also words that you could print of in the parents home language.

Thanks pipsqueak, I had never heard of babelfish before. That is a really good idea.:)

[68nic]

Thanks everyone ! all done . Now ive just got to wait for them to send out my Ofsted childminding application pack.Then I suppose about a 2mth wait for my CRB's. Cant wait to get started :clapping:

[caz3007]

We have a lot of Polish here and the school have found that when its parents day the parents often bring an English speaking older child to interpret.

Seen lots of nice gesturing and pointing to pictures or letters on a day to day basis to communicate. I suppose the carer gets used to what they have to do to communicate too, but Babelfish is great, we used it a lot when my DS was learning German.

Its good for the other children to learn some words from another language, some of my mindies know quite a lot of Polish as they have had Polish children in their class.