EMTAS Moodle

By Astrid Dinneen

The Young Interpreter Scheme has been running with Hampshire EMTAS at the helm for over 15 years. Many of our readers will have experience of running the scheme themselves. In a nutshell, it offers training for learners aged 5-16 to develop the skills needed to help new to English learners navigate their new school environment. Trained Young Interpreters help newly arrived pupils feel welcome and settled through their languages, body language, facial expressions and strategies such as pointing, drawing pictures, demonstrating routines or simply playing a game.  

Until recently, little was known about the impact of the scheme on the Young Interpreters themselves. However, a report published this year by Dr Debra Page sheds some light on its positive effect on the development of empathy, intercultural competence, and metalinguistic awareness among primary school children, with these effects emerging gradually over time. Dr Page comments that ‘this indicates that the Young Interpreter Scheme is a valuable tool for supporting EAL learners and fostering broader educational and social competencies among students’. She concludes that  

To read the full report: Young Interpreters: Report for Hampshire EMTAS on the Impact of the Young Interpreter Scheme (Page, 2024).

To find out more about the Young Interpreter Scheme: visit our website and join our free webinar on November 26th 2024 (book your space with Lizzie Jenner – lizzie.jenner@hants.gov.uk).