By: Ryan ShorterSam BryantBrooke Ness

Hannah Nichols

Interpreters are…• highly skilled professionals that make

communication possible between hearing individuals and the Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing

Job Description

• Interpreters listen to another person’s words, inflections, and intent

• At the same time they have to figure out what they just listened to and turn it into sign language or vice versa

Interpreters Must Be Able To:

• Comprehend the signs, inflections and intent of the deaf consumer

• Simultaneously speak them in articulate, appropriate English

• Understand the cultures in which they’re working and apply that knowledge to make cross-cultural communications effective

Job Outlook• Sign language interpreting is a rapidly

expanding field

Types of Job Settings Include:• Schools

• Government Agencies • Medical • Legal • Private Businesses• Religious  • Mental Health• Rehabilitation• Performing Arts

What It Takes to Be an Interpreter

• A committed person to maintain and grow in the skills needed

• Able to handle the emotional part of the job• Know the English language• Be able to express speakers’/signers’ emotions, and

be confident

Education• Bachelors of Science (BS) in Interpretation

for most programs• Also RID Certification

Job Vacancy: Montgomery CollegeJob Summary: The primary responsibility is to provide interpreting/transliterating in a variety of situations related to the educational needs of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing students and campus-wide community.

Education & Training: RID certification preferred but not required. Associates or Bachelors degree preferred.

Qualifications: Must be proficient in American Sign Language (ASL) and/or other communication modes used by Deaf individuals.

*At least 2 years of educational interpreting experience.

*Knowledge in Math, English and a wide range of college subjects.

*Knowledge of RID Code of Ethics and Deaf Culture.

*Ability to assess and adapt to the needs of individual clients.

*Ability to establish and maintain working relationships in a classroom setting.

*Ability to work independently as well as in a team setting.

Interview: Sylvia Imbarlina (PIE Interpreter, NIC Advanced, EIPA, BS in Interpretation)

• What college did you attend to become an interpreter?

• RIT (NTID)...just in case you are not aware of this college it is the Rochester Institute of Technology and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf is one of ten colleges located on campus. It is the largest technical college for the deaf in the USA and is located in Rochester, NY.

•What level of education does your program require you to have?• Program meaning the degree at RIT? When I entered in '99 it was only an Associates in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Educational Interpreting. Since '01 it has become a Bachelors of Science (BS) in Interpretation. I currently hold both degrees from RIT. They have a great interpreting program there in their ASLIE department. Rochester has a very large deaf population and gaining experience there is an advantage for any interpreting student.

•What is the length of a normal assignment? •Depends-most assignments have a minimum of 2 hours. That's industry standard. It can vary..

•How do you make use of Deaf interpreters? •CDIs are used when a client uses foreign sign not familiar to an ASL interpreter or home-signs or has limited language. A CDI will then be requested to help with the communication.

• What certification do you have? How long did it take you to acquire it?

• I have my NIC Advanced (from RID) and my EIPA (from Boystown-the EIPA is now nationally recognized by RID as an educational K-12 certification). Both test took me less than a year to prepare and receive certification. They both have a written and a performance part that you must pass. The key is to focus on studying and practicing.

•What are the average amount of days you work a week? •I am a full-time staff interpreter (which is very different than a freelance interpreter). Full-time means 40 hour work week Monday-Friday along with health benefits, retirement plans, educational funds, and RID dues paid. Interpreters that are full-time typically only "physically" interpret around 25 hours a week. There is also Overtime that can be earned after the typical 8-hour work day.

•What types of affairs do you interpret? •Government, medical, legal, educational, private sectors, community, platform, religious, tactile (deaf-bind). It can range from staff meetings to conferences to a class to a hiring or a firing or even a medical surgical procedure. Interpreters need to be flexible and handle almost any situation that may arise.

•What are some challenges in reverse interpreting? •I'm not sure what you mean by reverse interpreting? Do you mean voicing (sign-to-voice)? When I haven't had a chance to meet with the client ahead of time to find out what the assignment is about and get used to their signing style. When they sign too fast and not looking at me so I can ask for clarification. Also, when they use home-signs or regional signs that I've never seen before.

Salary?• Salaries will vary depending on many

factors– Geographical area (rural areas tend to

pay less)– Education– Amount of experience

Salary…

• On average interpreters earn between $12-$40 per hour

• Agency, business, government organization, school system earn about $15,000-$30,000 per year

• Highly skilled and credentialed interpreters earn up to $40,000-$50,000 per year

Technology: Video Remote Interpreting (VRI)

• Call BIS VRI through Videophone or web cam. • Within minutes, an interpreter will come on the television

screen or computer monitor• When you are ready, start communicating in your natural

manner. The interpreter will interpret your conversation—voicing the conversation signed by the Deaf or hard of hearing participant(s) and signing the conversation spoken by those using their voices

Sources!• http://www.bisvri.com/page.asp?pgID=8&pgCategory=2• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wl/jobs/JS_JobSearchDetail?

jobid=27474176&jobSummaryIndex=0&agentID=&xfeed=1&wpmk=MK0000005&GCID=C17812x034&keyword=no_keyword

• www.rid.org• http://www.signlanguage.com/• http://www.pieinc.com/contact.html• Interview with Sylvia Imbarlina: PIE Interpreter, NIC

Advanced, EIPA, BS in Interpretation• Google images• http://www.gallaudet.edu/af/gis_interpreters.xml• http://www.dawnsign.com/