“I feel like a Referee”: Building Role Metaphors for Educational Interpreters of Spoken Languages in the U.S.

Abstract

Spoken language interpreting in U.S. educational settings remains a largely understudied area compared to sign language interpreting and other specialized fields. As a result, interpreters who serve language-minoritized families often navigate complex, underdefined roles. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with certified interpreters, bilingual staff, and ad-hoc language brokers, this qualitative study develops metaphorical descriptions that offer a deeper understanding of the roles educational interpreters perform. These role metaphors reflect interpreters’ dynamic role and alignment shifting, their negotiation of professional identity and collaboration with other members of the educational team, and the relational and linguistic work they do to build meaning across language and culture. Findings provide valuable insight into the plurality of actors who serve as interpreters, offer a foundation for developing professional standards and strengthening institutional support for interpreters in education, and calls attention to the importance of improving the quality of language access services in education.