Interpreters are increasingly being used in parent-teacher meetings

Interpreters are increasingly being used in parent-teacher meetings across Switzerland, and Zug is no exception, according to Remo Krummenacher, headmaster of Zug's municipal schools. Compared to other schools, however, the use of interpreters here is limited. There are plans to make greater use of digital translation tools in the future.
 

In everyday school life, teachers and parents sometimes talk at cross purposes, even when they speak the same language. Finding a common language, in the proverbial sense, therefore often requires time and a good level of cooperation. This becomes even more difficult when both parties don’t speak the same language. In such cases, interpreters become indispensable, at least temporarily, at parents' evenings and meetings.

New figures show that Swiss schools are increasingly making use of interpreters at parent-teacher meetings. The municipal schools in Zug are no exception, even though the use of interpreters is still limited here. The cost of interpreting services for parent-teacher meetings in Zug rose by more than 30 % between 2019 and 2024. As a comparison, the increase in the canton of Basel-Stadt over the same period was 41 %.

Remo Krummenacher, headmaster (Rektor) of the municipal schools in Zug, explains: ‘We only use interpreters when absolutely necessary, and in particular for individual parent-teacher meetings with complex or sensitive content.’ Parent-teacher evenings are consistently and exclusively conducted in German. ‘Interpreting services are not standard, but are seen as a targeted support tool in the interests of the child,’ he adds.

AI to be used more in the future
Zug's municipal schools are expected to break new ground in the future,: ‘Interpreting services are to be gradually supplemented and partially replaced by digital and AI-supported translation tools, provided that these can be used in compliance with data protection regulations,’ says Remo Krummenacher. These developments would help to reduce costs in the medium term. ‘In my view, it’s not realistic to expect a complete abandonment of this practice within the next five years,’ he continues. This is particularly true if intercultural mediation continues to be necessary in addition to translation services.

Interpreting services are not standard practice at Zug municipal schools.     Symbolic image: Better family

‘The Zug municipal schools currently work with an internal list of interpreters and, where necessary, also make use of external services, including those provided by Caritas,’ explains Remo Krummenacher. This means that directly commissioned interpreters are subject to the Municipal Compensation Ordinance (Städtische Entschädigungsverordnung), which stipulates a rate of CHF 65 per hour for this service. Third-party providers charge their own rates. No separate statistics are kept on the hours worked by interpreters per year.

The headmaster emphasises: "Overall, the volume is manageable. Interpreting services are used specifically and exclusively when needed, and are not a standard tool in everyday school life.‘ This is because all parents are expected to be ’willing to integrate linguistically and socially.‘ This expectation is part of the legal framework, and is communicated transparently in everyday school life and in parent-teacher meetings. But Remo Krummenacher makes it clear: ’A lack of German language skills does not mean a lack of willingness to integrate. We see the choice of a public school as a clear commitment to integration."

Reading skills have been promoted in Zug for years
In the same context, a study published in December by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that 15-year-olds with a migrant background are, on average, a whole school year behind their peers in terms of reading skills.

Is this also the case in Zug? Remo Krummenacher: ‘The OECD studies show general trends, but cannot be directly applied to Zug. The student body is very heterogeneous, so sweeping statements are not appropriate.’

The municipal schools in Zug have already been taking action in this area for years. ‘We promote language skills at an early age, provide targeted support for children in the classroom and rely on proven support programmes,’ explains Remo Krummenacher. For children whose mother tongue is not German, there are special classes that gradually prepare them for lessons in the regular classroom. At the same time, the school works closely with parents. These measures strengthen the integration of all children.

Further information:

Translators are not used
Translators are not used at parents' evenings and parent-teacher meetings at Zug's municipal schools, as Etienne Schumpf, the city councillor (Stadtrat) responsible for education, stated in an article in the Zuger Zeitung newspaper around two years ago.
At the time, the municipal SVP faction (Swiss People’s party) caused a storm in a teacup with an interpellation, in which they criticised the use of translators at parents' evenings at Zug's municipal schools. But the motion contained false information, as the Zug city council countered at the time. In the 2024 article, Etienne Schumpf also stated that special compensation for interpreters working on behalf of Zug city schools had amounted to a total of around CHF 90,000 over the last ten years. For context: translators work with written text, while interpreters translate spoken language (or sign language) orally, and often in real time.

Link to the original article (in German):
https://www.zugerzeitung.ch/zentralschweiz/zug/bildung-sprach-apps-kulturvermittler-oder-uebersetzerinnen-wie-gehen-zuger-schulen-bei-sprachbarrieren-mit-eltern-um-ld.2583204