Here are some tips for working with interpreters...

1)  Get to know your interpreters.  Spend time with them, learn about their education, family, interests.   Ask for their suggestions about how to facilitate communication.  Be open to their suggestions.

2)  Appreciate your interpreters' expertise.  They may help you to communicate with others, but they also have 'insiders knowledge' of local customs and can be wonderful help when you want to understand a situation.  They can put "an appropriate cultural filter" on your communication, and help avoid misunderstanding.  Remember to be respectful and appreciative.  After all, interpreters are substantially more skilled than we are if they can speak all the languages involved.

3)  There are a few different ways of interpreting.  There is Thought for Thought intepreting, in which you have a complete conversation with the interpreter and then s/he speaks on your behalf.  And there is Consecutive interpreting, which is usually the most effective mode of interpretation one on one.  Talk with your interpreter ahead of time and decide how to proceed.  You may like also to ask your interpreter to indicate when you should pause, when to listen longer, and help you understand if things are not going as well as possible.  An interpreter can be a diplomatic presence!

4)  Never assume the person with whom you would like to converse does NOT speak English.  Always inquire.  If people speak to you in English that you have difficulty understanding, always express appreciation for the effort.  Offer your own good wishes in the others' language, it is likely that others will also appreciate your efforts!

5)  Always face directly to the person with whom you are speaking, and watch and listen as s/he speaks, then listen to the interpreter, but respond back directly to the person.   It is tempting to speak directly to the person who understands you, but this will not build relationship necessarily.

6)  Speak slowly and clearly.  Pause after a thought or phrase, or after a major point has been made.  Don't ask your interpreter to remember long sentences.    Feel free also to pause for thought, and give listening space for your conversation partner also to pause, without feeling the need to fill the space.

7)  Be careful with humor.  Just as in the US, what one person thinks is funny may not be the case for another.

8)  Be curious, but listen and speak with kindness.  Compassion and connection can be communicated even without speech.  Don't let the language difference keep you from being yourself .  That is the gift you bring!

9)  Watch body language.  Some of it is universal!  Americans may touch more or less than the people we meet.  Observe local customs and practice them as much as you can.