Should I hire a translator for my wife's interview?

[Drew3435 4]

Hi folks,

 

This is a long way off. But I like to plan things out in advance. My wife's English is passable, but she does yeah me a lot. When I was there, I found communicating a little more difficult than I thought it would be. There were clear situations where she would nod or affirmatively respond, but it was clear she didn't know what I was asking. It is a difficult subject to approach with her because she seems almost offended if I raise anything about our communications / her English speaking skills.

My question is, should I insist on hiring a translator to go to the interview with her?  Just in case? Her interview will be in Manila. Maybe their Filipino will be sufficient to not require one? I just want to make sure there are no issues that reset her immigration process once we get to that point.

 

Any guidance is appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Drew

[Mike E 11,740]

2 minutes ago, Drew3435 said:

Her interview will be in Manila. Maybe their Filipino will be sufficient to not require one?

If she speaks Tagalog aka Filipino, she should be given the option to conduct the interview in  Tagalog.

 

This is the general policy of consulates: English or the national language.

[Drew3435 4]

4 minutes ago, Mike E said:

If she speaks Tagalog aka Filipino, she should be given the option to conduct the interview in  Tagalog.

 

This is the general policy of consulates: English or the national language.

That is great news! Thanks!

[Mike E 11,740]

1 hour ago, Drew3435 said:

That is great news! Thanks!

Cool.

 

After she gets her visa, if her port of entry is Guam (strongly recommend this port), SFO or LAX, she will be able to navigate the formal immigration process because those airports are certain to have workers who speak Tagalog, and it will not surprise me if there is at least one CBPO who speaks it.

 

But to be safe, prepare a sheet of paper for her to print, that explains in English that, her name is _______, her  primary language is Tagalog, she is immigrating to the U.S. to live with her spouse, name of spouse, mobile phone and address of spouse. 
 

Now whether this idea offends her or not, is something between her and you.

Edited August 22, 2023 by Mike E

[Drew3435 4]

3 minutes ago, Mike E said:

Cool.

 

After she gets her visa, if her port of entry is Guam (strongly recommend this port), SFO or LAX, she will be able to navigate the formal immigration process because those airports are certain to have workers who speak Tagalog, and it will not surprise me if there is at least one CBPO who speaks it.

 

But to be safe, prepare a sheet of paper for her to print, that explains in English that, her name is _______, her  primary language is Tagalog, she is immigrating to the U.S. to live with her spouse, name of spouse, mobile phone and address of spouse. 
 

Now whether this idea offends her or not, is something between her and you.

Thanks for the tip. She will likely fly into JFK since I am in the Philly area, and there is a direct non-stop flight from Manila to JFK.  I may just go to pick her up and fly back with her to make the process easier. 

[Mike E 11,740]

5 minutes ago, Drew3435 said:

I may just go to pick her up and fly back with her to make the process easier.

I recommend that.

 

A non stop to JFK is a strong indicator that airport will have Tagalog speakers.

 

Edited August 22, 2023 by Mike E

[Boiler 45,659]

She may be asked how you communicate.

[pushbrk 12,970]

39 minutes ago, Boiler said:

She may be asked how you communicate.

That's a very good point.  It used to be in Guangzhou, many visas were denied if it was not clear to the Consular Officer that the couple had a reasonable means of communication.  My Ex and I practiced me asking and her answering many typical interview questions, for hundreds of hours over video calls.  I coached her to greet the Consular Officer in English. 

At the actual interview, the Consular Officer greeted her first in Mandarin, and not a word of English was spoken.  He asked, if she spoke English and she said "a little".  He then asked if I spoke Mandarin, and she answered "a little".  No problems.  But many people were asked to submit a video of how they communicated.  We had prepared one of those too.

Whether it's an issue for immigration or not, working on your communication skills prior to being together in the USA, is a really good idea, whether she's sensitive about it or not.

[Redro 4,611]

 Agree with @pushbrk and @Boiler if you find communicating an issue they might pick up on that during the interview and ask how you manage to communicate during the interview. @Adventine @Chancy any feedback on in what is expected from Manila? Would this topic be better placed in Philippines forum? Do they care about how well couples can communicate in the same language? 
@Drew3435 when would this interview be? If you are worried about your wife’s English level I might suggest she start some online English classes as she could find moving to the US a difficult transition. additionally if the interview is in the next 3-6 months I would consider researching ESL classes close to your home. 
ETA: I would also start learning her home language. I find it’s very important for both people in a couple to learn the other person’s language. The default should not be English. IMO 

ETA translators aren’t usually allowed into the embassy unless the consulate/embassy states they don’t have someone who speaks the language. Additionally, you generally have to request permission for the translator to accompany the beneficiary to the interview. 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Redro

[Adventine 3,201]

***Moved to the Philippines regional forum for country-specific advice***

 

 

The embassy will have staff who can translate for OP's wife if needed. Given the situation OP has described, his wife should definitely request that the interview be conducted in Filipino.

 

The Manila embassy does not make a big deal about excellent English skills. School subjects are taught in both English and Filipino, so it's assumed that any Filipino with at least a high school education knows basic English - enough to hold a simple conversation.

 

I agree with the others that working on communication skills is important not just for the interview, but for the relationship in general. 

 

A little background about Filipino culture for readers who may not be aware: social status in the Philippines is partially measured by how well one speaks English, and many find it deeply humiliating to make mistakes while speaking English, to the point that they will simply say "Yes/OK/Yeah" even if they didn't understand. They don't want to lose face by admitting that they didn't understand what was said. 

 

Many will also take offense if someone points out their English deficiencies. It's akin to telling them they aren't educated enough. 

 

Nevertheless, mature people in a cross-cultural relationship should be able to navigate these language barriers with kindness and cultural awareness on both sides.

Edited August 23, 2023 by Adventine

[pushbrk 12,970]

Lots of Filipinos teaching English online.  Find one and sign her up for frequent online English classes.  It's going to be critical to having a happy relationship in the USA.  You need good communication for a successful marriage.

 

[Drew3435 4]

1 hour ago, Adventine said:

***Moved to the Philippines regional forum for country-specific advice***

 

 

The embassy will have staff who can translate for OP's wife if needed. Given the situation OP has described, his wife should definitely request that the interview be conducted in Filipino.

 

The Manila embassy does not make a big deal about excellent English skills. School subjects are taught in both English and Filipino, so it's assumed that any Filipino with at least a high school education knows basic English - enough to hold a simple conversation.

 

I agree with the others that working on communication skills is important not just for the interview, but for the relationship in general. 

 

A little background about Filipino culture for readers who may not be aware: social status in the Philippines is partially measured by how well one speaks English, and many find it deeply humiliating to make mistakes while speaking English, to the point that they will simply say "Yes/OK/Yeah" even if they didn't understand. They don't want to lose face by admitting that they didn't understand what was said. 

 

Many will also take offense if someone points out their English deficiencies. It's akin to telling them they aren't educated enough. 

 

Nevertheless, mature people in a cross-cultural relationship should be able to navigate these language barriers with kindness and cultural awareness on both sides.

Thanks for this background. You summed things up pretty well. Her English is pretty good, probably above average compared to her peers there. We do not have much difficulty communicating. I was just concerned that if it were conducted in English, she could end up "yeah"ing to something really important. Her written English is excellent. She is highly educated and has a very good job there. I didn't mean to imply that she can't communicate with me. Just worried about the outlier situation where it could complicate her immigration. I do plan to learn Filipino language when I have the bandwidth to take some courses. I definitely do not wan to put this all on her. 

[Stevephoto 230]

For what it is worth (because this was 10 years ago), I was with Joan during her interview (GREAT experience, so go if you can). Joan's English is very very good, but remember, this is a nerve wracking experience. The embassy does provide interpreters on request. Personally I would suggest requesting an interpreter because we don't always hear the question when we are nervous...or register the final comment ("I don't see any problem here. You are approved" in our case. We asked for an interpreter but the interviewer said something like "well you are here so can we continue in English?" We did and were approved in 5 minutes. She will be fine, but good luck!