Demand for sign language interpreters has skyrocketed in your area. Seeing the need, you decide to become an interpreter. Where can you go for that training, and how do you become an interpreter?
College Education
Most people who become interpreters obtain some formal training in colleges and universities. Listings of programs are available on the web:
- The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) offers a long and growing listing of interpreter preparation programs in the United States and Canada. Contact RID for this list.
- ASLInfo.com also maintains a listing of interpreter training programs.
- TerpDawn maintains her own listing of programs in the U.S. and Canada.
Despite the abundancy of training programs, scholarships for interpreters appear to be scarce. The only ones I know of are the ones offered by the Minnesota Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, for educational interpreters in Minnesota, and the ones offered by the RID.
Testing
After education is completed and some experience is gained, the professional interpreter-to-be must take a certification test. There is a National Interpreter Certification (NIC) certification test given jointly by the National Association of the Deaf and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. This test (which involves a written test, an interview, and a performance test) has three levels of certification:
- National Interpreter Certification
- National Interpreter Certification Advanced
- National Interpreter Certification Master
Additional Interpreter Training Resources
Gallaudet University offers a special visiting interpreter program that allows inexperienced interpreters to benefit from being mentored by more skilled interpreters. In addition, there is a national organization for people that do the training of interpreters, the Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT). The CIT promotes standards, and holds biennial conventions. Finally, Info to Go offers a one-page fact sheet on becoming an interpreter.
