I literally made a reddit account to ask this question. I am not an interpreter but I have been learning ASL on and off for years and have tossed around the idea of going to school for it.

Anyways this is a weird and specific question and I am aware of that but it popped into my head and I can’t stop thinking about it.

If you are interpreting a large event/gathering (concert/conference/etc.) and you are actively interpreting when a shooting or crowd crush or other large scale emergency where there is loss of life occurs where you are also in possible danger, do you continue to interpret for as long as you can or do you gtfo? I’m not sure if this is a more ethics based question or if interpreting agencies have guidelines on what to do if something like this happens.

Please let me know 🙏🏻

Hello,

I am a hearing college student currently learning ASL with a Deaf professor. I have deeply enjoyed learning the language and plan to take up to ASL VI, in the hopes of becoming fluent. Are these valid motivations to consider pursuing an ITP and working as an interpreter, or would this be an overreach as a hearing person in some way? I am still learning about the history and norms of Deaf culture, so I apologize if any of my question is insensitive.

I have looked into RID certification, and I know that they offer NIC certification for hearing interpreters. I will graduate with a bachelor's to meet the education requirement for the exam, but despite taking ASL in depth, I won't have any formal interpreting education.

Is there a way for me to pursue an ITP concurrently with my BA? Are there any specialized programs for students who are fluent in ASL? Or would I have to get an additional associate's/bachelor's degree from an ITP after graduating with my BA?

Thank you!

My husband and I are thinking to move to the western side of Virginia state north of Roanoke. I am currently WFH VRS so plan to transfer in, but I have a couple questions to help me plan to get back in the community asap.

1. What can you tell me about the D/deaf community?

2. Is the interpreting IC or agency driven?

3. What is the community rate? (I have NIC and EIPA 4+)

4. Do any of the medical centers hire direct or contingent?

5. It is my understanding that there are no state laws or state licensure in Virginia- is this accurate?

TIA

Has anyone struggled with bad classmates on their journey to becoming an interpreter? Our foundational language classes in my program are moving much more slowly than I expected. There are some... less serious... students who are dragging the pace of individual lessons, and our cumulative progress. They're also miserable to partner with, and there are some of us sharing a bigger part of the burden with taking them on for assignments. It's cutting into the quality of our conversation practice.

There's no way these people are going to *not* flunk out at some point along the way. They're falling further and further behind the group. But I think there's an institutional policy to collect tuition from people for as long as possible, before sending them on their way.

I always read about high failure or dropout rates for ASL and ITPs. But I wish it was happening faster in mine!

Please reassure me that these unserious people will eventually go, and that the pace of the program accelerates when they do. I don't feel comfortable that our current pace will get us on target for the necessary language fluency.

How can you politely tell someone that they may be in the wrong field? Would it be wrong to drop pointed reminders about the final withdrawal date in the group chat?

I just bought my test, and I am planning to take it this summer. Wondering if there are any practice groups out there? Obviously, there is nothing to “study” but wondering if there are any groups to work on skills, give feedback etc?

Advice on Reporting Potential RID CPC Violations
I’m seeking advice regarding an interpreter at a small agency who has previously appeared on RID’s noncompliance list and is approaching membership renewal. My understanding is that continued ethical violations could potentially jeopardize their certification, including permanent revocation.

I’ve observed ongoing concerns involving potentially falsified invoices, misrepresentation of availability, and failure to fulfill accepted assignments.

I’m considering filing a formal complaint with RID but have a few questions:

Am I required to address these concerns directly with the interpreter before reporting?

Does RID protect the complainant’s identity?

What evidence is needed to support a complaint?

Does RID consider previous noncompliance when evaluating new complaints?

My biggest concern is potential retaliation, particularly given the small size of the agency.
I believe professional accountability is important, but I want to ensure I’m approaching this appropriately. I’d appreciate insight from anyone familiar with RID’s complaint process.

Hi everyone,
I wanted to share my recent experience interviewing with Simplified Group BPO LLC for a remote interpreter role, as well as a warning regarding their onboarding practices for candidates based in the UK.
After passing their initial screening and voice recording assessments, I received an offer email asking for a national criminal record check and copies of my National ID / Passport to be sent directly over email/WhatsApp.
Because I am based in the UK, I questioned why an offshore company needed raw scans of sensitive identity documents over unencrypted channels, and I offered to run an official UK Basic DBS check through GOV.UK instead.
Here are the major red flags that followed:
1. Refusal of Official UK Payment Links: When I submitted a Basic DBS application through GOV.UK and provided the recruiter with the secure, official £20 GOV.UK payment link, they refused to pay through the government link.
2. Request for Western Union: Instead of paying the £20 fee on the GOV.UK portal, they asked me to send them my full legal name, ID number, country, and city so they could transfer £20 to me via Western Union.
3. Improper Criminal Check Advice: They previously advised that I could walk into a local UK police station to get a criminal check printed, which is not how UK criminal background checks work (the UK legally uses the DBS portal).
4. Data Security & AI Voice Recordings: During the application process, they require reading and recording scripted sentences in your native language and English. Combined with requests for raw passport scans and Western Union details, this presents significant identity harvesting and voice-data privacy risks.
5. No UK Tax/PAYE Setup: They operate as an offshore independent contractor model paying via PayPal/Payoneer, meaning no formal employment contract or PAYE tax records are issued.
Has anyone else encountered this Western Union / DBS refusal with them?

My boyfriend is considering taking a travel job where we would be 3 months in different locations. Has anyone travelled with Sorenson (or other VRS)? I already work VRS for them in center so that’s why I ask. Thanks

I get that this is rage bait for some. I personally think that the innovation is interesting, even while acknowledging the insanity. Don't come at me! I also agree D/deaf people don't need fixing!

Genetic deafness by and large makes up such an infinitesimally minute group of our D/deaf communities and this specific gene a subsection of that. I would love to see the numbers, but most of the personal stories I am told by my local community is related to high fevers, German measles, Usher's Syndrome (which is not from otof), and meningitis.

Back in 2017 I landed a great internship up in Alaska. The program was amazing and rewarding but the grant funding fell through and i was not able to continue. Unable to afford tp put myself through the program I relocated to California and found work at a local interpreting agency, school for the deaf and alternative school. Since I have relocated to Seattle and got back in school to finish my BA. Im still stuck locating an internship or apprenticeship. I send my resume out or connect via LinkedIn to non-profits, VRS, smaller LLCs, discord groups, community colleges but the opportunities and resources leave me mass applying with no feedback or luck. Im in several communities as a BIPOC and have experience in K-12, 1-on-1 aid, legal, and human resources. While I still take CECs and asl classes here and there im a little defeated at the idea that ill have to push off graduating another year.

I would love some mentorship to see how I can enhance my resume and experience. I would really like to graduate and pursue my passion again. Landing an internship/apprenticeship would be ideal however I am open to any leads available. Feel free to DM me or ask away!

Thank you guys so much for reading this and for anyone who might have some feedback for me!

Hi! I'm a senior at my ITP and I'm writing a lit review on the state of queer competency training for ASL interpreters in graduate level and CEUs. I'm in Illinois, but I'm very interested in what anyone knows about from within the last five years, ish? No wrong answers, but links are appreciated.

I learned an unconventional sign for "accident" that I'm now second-guessing.

Most people use the variation of "wrong" in this context (or a depiction of a vehicle accident for a different context). I remember learning an alternative: both hands in V, DH near forehead, NDH further down near shoulder. Palm orientation is inward, motion is 2 motions of moving in and back out. Think of the sign for "trouble" but with Vs.

Does anyone recognize this sign or did I just make this shit up?! I have a vague memory of seeing it in my ITP but the teacher may have included a caveat that I don't remember. Help!

First things first, I'm TiredVRS. I lost my previous account password and it's unrecoverable, so that's neat. Sorry for any confusion.

I'm an interpreter in Cleveland OH, and I contract to several agencies. The most unpleasant to work with is by far CIU.

They completely ignore my requirements, preferences, and qualifications. I have had their scheduler-owner refer to asl terps as "high maintenance," and "needy" on several occasions. They even fully named a fellow interpreter (who I did not know and was able to find to warn them) to me to complain about our neediness as a profession because "normal interpreters aren't like that". Turns out that according to the other terp, the owner-scheduler has been cyber stalking other ASL interpreters for their contact information and then demanding they accept assignments without telling them who's even contacting them.

The overall experience has been unpleasant, unprofessional, unhelpful, and absolutely miserable for me. I want to know if it's just me or if there's others of you with the same issue?

I've tried sending them our CPC, COE, Industry Standards, explanations and they haven't read a damn thing. I'm so sick of them.

Have any of you been successful at explaining the industry to a spoken language agency? How did you do it? What are your red flags when contracting with another agency so I can avoid dealing with this in the future?

I know it's not my job to fix and I'm sick of them, but they're just so obnoxious and I'm frustrated

Hey! I’m looking into remote jobs for educational interpreting. This feels like such a silly question but I really would like to know the set up.

I know every place probably does it a little bit differently but what exactly does the interpreter have access to see? Is it the whole classroom, the teacher, the student ect. And then vice versa for the deaf student.

I’m a very visual person so i’m really struggling to picture it in my head. Any help is greatly appreciated!!

I’m in my fifth ASL class and my interpreting career is getting serious now. I have read lots of books both inside and outside of the classroom recommended my multiple of my deaf professors as well as deaf people from my local community but these are all books dedicated to either learning sign language itself or learning about the deaf community. Which I am thankful for so much

But now, I am feeling like I am lacking in understanding the interpreters side of everything, (that’s not to say the deaf communities experience with interpreters are not important) but I feel right now like I don’t know much about how interpreters feel about their careers. Like what they like and don’t like, what they think needs to be fixed and what is in general there experiences with becoming an interpreter.

I say this to ask, I love reading books and I am wondering if anyone knows of some books that they think future interpreters should read about the career? Like any good information on things you should know about being an interpreter, your rights as an interpreter, experience on being an interpreter in general and or experience on becoming one?

TLDR: I am interested in learning from people who are already in the interpreting career both new and experienced that have any book recommendations or a place to find good advice on becoming an interpreter.

Trying to gather some knowledge here before contract negotiation season!

I’m a Chicago based interpreter who enjoys concert interpreting but sometimes the workload of prep, not having a setlist until very late, not having proper sound packs, can really get the best of me. Trying to see how much people across the country are getting paid for this kind of work. Typically for one concert I earn 500-600 dollars.

What city are you in? What do you bill for?
If the proper sound packs/setlist aren’t given do you charge extra?

TIA!!

This is the ASL interpreter in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Obviously for the comedy she is wearing this low-cut dress and is above average lol.

I know that ASL interpreters almost always wear solid colors and garments that cover darn near all of their torso and neck so the hands are very visible. I’m sure one would never wear something like this, but that is my question. Could you if you wanted? Would you in a very formal evening like at an awards ceremony? Just wondering if there is just an unwritten rule about dress code for ASL interpreters.

I know it’s rare and probably unheard of but if so:

- what’s some challenges of working on the platform and how did you work around them

- if you could change 1 thing about the platform to make it more beneficial for interpreting what would that be

Hello, frustrated student here. I'm in my Deaf Studies program, pursuing IPP. Working as a home caregiver currently.

The people I work around are aware of my major. And suddenly it's become a popular topic of conversation to debate how ASL Interpreting as a job is counting its days. For example, a doctor I work with told me that he thinks "deafness will be cured in less than 20 years" and how that makes my education "useless". I pointed out that his logic makes the assumption that Deaf/HoH people want to be "cured". He literally just said "well of course they would". Not sure how to feel about that, other than disgusted.

More examples include a coworker telling me that AI is going to take over ASL interpreting. A nurse that I work with has also made the same "deafness will be cured" claim. Even a classmate of mine said that our future jobs are at risk of AI takeover.

Am I missing something? I'm somewhat in the loop surrounding the interpreting community, and I'm not seeing where all this fear mongering is coming from. I hate to say that it has knocked my confidence down a few pegs. I absolutely love what I'm learning and I don't want to believe any of these things are true or possible. Any words of wisdom from the professionals?

P.S. I'll bring this up to my ASL professor as well because I want to learn more about how these kinds of mindsets can be refuted.

I was talking with a colleague the other day during a break and the topic came up of the perennial challenge of interpreting speakers who are soft-spoken, or reading aloud from a text way too fast.

These types of mechanical difficulties happen every day in our work, and yet I haven't seen a lot of good ideas of how to prompt hearing folks to speak up or slow down in a way that actually makes a difference. Most folks will sincerely say "oh sure, I'll talk louder/slower" and then within five seconds return to their previous volume level or rate of speech. That was what I was warned in ITP and that has remained consistent through my 15+ years in the field. I'm not here to complain about that-- I think it's an interesting reflection on human nature, but I'm curious if anyone has found any tactics that can trick someone into changing, even for a minute?

The closest work-around I've seen (though it's not a total solution) is to ask someone to repeat a specific word or phrase that I might have missed. Under certain circumstances it may be feasible to interrupt and ask them to pause once or twice so their audience can (e.g.) read a text-heavy slide during a presentation. Beyond that, my sense is that getting someone to be a better public speaker or make their presentation style more accessible for audiences using interpreters is generally an ongoing task that has to be self-motivated, and there's little we can do in the moment to get people to moderate their speech to make it more accessible.

What has your experience been? Have you found any useful tips or tricks that have actually worked to get someone to speak up or slow down?