This position is 8 hours per day, 12 months.

Criteria for Initial Step Placement on the Schedule
Provisions Governing the Professional and Technical Salary Schedule per Collective Bargaining Agreement Criteria for Initial Placement on the Schedule Initial placement shall be made by Human Resources on Step 1 unless employee has previous experience in a Washington school district; then, years of experience credit will be considered for placement.

Advancement:
All professional and technical employees will move incrementally over one salary schedule step each year. Step advances are only made once a year effective September 1. To be eligible for such step advancement, an employee must have been in the position by January 31 of the previous school year.
BASIC FUNCTION: Responsible for listening to, understanding, and translating spoken or written statements from the English language to the Spanish language. Assures the cultural and linguistic needs of all ELL students and families are met with support, trust, care, and collaboration. Reproduce statements in the Spanish language from the English language. Facilitate and manage interpreting and translation requests to support district and school needs.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES:

Incumbents may perform any combination of the essential functions shown below. This position description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, knowledge, or abilities associated with this classification, but is intended to accurately reflect the principal job elements.

E = ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Facilitate effective communication between two parties that do not speak a similar language by converting one spoken or written language to another (English to Spanish and Spanish to English). (E)
• Facilitate communication for people with limited English proficiency. (E)
• Relay concepts and ideas between languages. (E)
• Interpret both legal terminology and colloquial language. (E)
• Assist in language, educational, and psychological testing. (E)
• Create a new text in the target language that reproduces the content and style of the original. (E)
• Convert written materials from other language as identified by immigrant student population (Spanish) into English or vice versa, such as books, publications, web pages, or letters. (E)
• Translate educational materials and informational brochures issued by schools and district offices into another language (Spanish). (E)
• Read aloud documents in a language other than that in which they were written (English to Spanish). (E)
• Provide language services to students, staff, and families of the district with limited English proficiency. (E)
• Provides bilingual phone support for all schools and departments via conference calls. (E)
• Maintain Spanish phone line. (E)
• Provides translation/interpretation support services as needed by departments. (E)
• Translate languages at meetings such as student/family-administration meetings, hearings, orientations. (E)
• Attend conferences and meetings and act as the official translator/interpreter to mediate discussion. (E)
• Ensures that district communication is in a language (Spanish) that limited English parents understand. (E)
• Coordinates and supports ELL parent - community workshops, classes, activities, and events. (E)
• Assists schools and families with the enrollment of limited-English and international students. (E)
• Act as a parent advocate for Spanish-speaking parents and students who may be unfamiliar with their rights and participation in education.
• Encourages families to participate in school affairs and promotes school involvement. (E)
• Act as a cultural liaison between Spanish-speaking families and school personnel.
• Accompany non-English speaking visitors and facilitate communication between receiving party and visitors. (E)
• Seeks new and innovative ways to meet the communication needs of the limited-English parents in the district. (E)
• Manage translation and interpreting request system, schedule appropriate service provider based on language needs. (E)
• Maintain interpretation/translation services log for data collection purposes.
• Receive and submit assignments electronically. (E)
• Employ computer-assisted translation. (E)
• Schedules, monitors, and supports all translation and interpretation support services for district and schools.
• Schedules all translation and interpretation assignments with internal staff and external agencies. (E)
• Performs other duties as assigned by appropriate administrator. (E)
• Maintains compliance with Title IX Standards. (E)
• Informs supervisor immediately when interpreting sensitive and/or reportable issues. (E)
• Ability to work collaboratively with various groups of people. (E)
• Maintains regular attendance. (E)
• Evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand. (E)
• Maintains positive work relationships. (E)
• Serves on various district committees as appropriate. (E)
• Performs other duties as assigned by appropriate supervisor. (E)

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• High school graduation or equivalent. Two years of study of higher learning; or an associate's or higher degree; or has met a rigorous standard of quality and can demonstrate, through a formal state or local academic assessment, knowledge of and ability to translate and interpret in formal situations.
• Advance-mid or higher proficiency in English and Spanish as demonstrated by educational qualification and/or by Oral Proficiency Instrument (OPI) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT).
• At least one year of experience working with a multi-cultural clientele.
• Any combination of experience and training which provides the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and ability required to perform the work and to meet the requirements.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree.
• Two years of experience as a translator/interpreter.
• Two years of experience in education.
• American Translator Association (ATA) certification preferred.
• Proven successful experience in an ethnically diverse public school district.

Employment eligibility that may include fingerprints, health (TB), and/or other employment clearance.

Must have valid driver's license and automobile available for use. Must be willing to attend evening and weekend meetings.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Spanish as demonstrated by nationally or internationally recognized assessment of proficiency.
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher.
• Ability to be self-directed, to work independently and with teams.
• Ability to coordinate the efforts of team members for parent and community workshops and events.
• Ability to work with internal and external stakeholders to develop a culture of collaboration and trust while advocating for the limited English community.
• Plan, organize, and prioritize work to meet multiple schedules and deadlines, and manage simultaneous tasks, with many interruptions.
• Work independently with minimum direction and supervision; work under pressure.
• Understand, analyze, and prepare comprehensive, narrative, and statistical reports.
• Use effective customer service skills to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with district personnel, community members, and external companies and agencies while performing assigned duties.
• Exhibit cultural competency and sensitivity with the ability to communicate effectively with all cultural groups in the organization.
• Communicate effectively, including making public presentations.
• Make effective independent decisions.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of others both within and outside of the district.

(Allowable Substitutions: Any combination of experience and training which provide the incumbent/applicant with the knowledge, skills, and ability required to perform the work, as determined by the district. Qualifying work experience, as identified by the superintendent or designee, may substitute for the education preference beyond a master's degree).
WORKING CONDITIONS: Environment: District office environment and school sites.

• Demanding timelines.
• Subject to driving to a variety of locations to conduct work during day and evening hours.
• Subject to frequent interruptions and extensive contact with students, staff, parents, and the public, including communication with distraught, angry, or hostile individuals.
• Heavy telephone contacts and substantial meeting schedule.
• Indoor and outdoor environment.
• Represents the district on potentially controversial matters.

Physical demands:

• Bending at the waist, kneeling or crouching, and reaching to retrieve and maintain files and records.
• Reaching overhead, above the shoulders and horizontally.
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate standard office equipment, computer keyboard, and other equipment necessary to complete the required duties.
• Hearing and speaking to exchange information in person and on the telephone.
• Visual and mental concentration with a high level of organizational skill.
• Visual ability to read, and to prepare/process documents and to monitor various services and personnel.
• Sitting for extended periods.
• Standing for extended periods.
• Walking over rough or uneven surfaces.
• Climbing, occasional use of stepladders.
• Physical activity may be required, which could include moderate lifting.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Hazards:

• Extended viewing of computer monitor.
• Working around and with office equipment having moving parts.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Kent School District will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the Division of Human Resources.