My wife posted last night, but it still hasn't shown up. Something about each post requiring approval from an admin first? She asked me to get on and post this for her:
Paul, do you might what island you live on?
I was curious because while I currently live in Southern California, my husband's work might be transferring him to Hawaii (and I go where he goes of course). I was interested to know if there is a need for interpreters in Hawaii. Here in SoCal, there's always a need for more interpreters. Are there many opportunities available for interpreting there? Any tips?
Paul doesn't spend much time online lately (he's on break - so he's gone surfing all day everyday). I'm pregnant (due in January) and my doc won't let me do anything more than sit at a computer all day.
We live on Oahu - moved here in 2007 from the San Diego area. If you're from SoCal, I wonder if one of us knows you.
I'm not too sure what the workforce for interpreters is like here on Oahu. Hawaii is a bit behind and doesn't do a great job providing interpreting services. However, that seems to have improved quite a bit in the last couple years. Most of our energy has gone towards fighting for interpreters rather than finding them. Hawaii does not have a Deaf Community Services center like most other major cities/states has. I believe one is in the works of being developed. Once this happens, I anticipate better accessibility to interpreters and I think the need for interpreters will increase.
I only know of a handful of interpreters on this island. I'm not sure if all interpreters are certified. The main interpreting organization here is HIS. Although it's the main organization, I think it remains pretty small. Of the interpreters I know, some do freelance and others work for HIS.
It seems that most interpreting needs are in hospitals/doctor's offices and at schools.
HSDB is the school for the deaf, located in Waikiki. If you have a Bachelor's degree and have trouble finding stable work as an interpreter, I would consider applying to HSDB as an ASL teacher. For many students, ASL is introduced VERY late... so yes... deaf students are actually offered ASL classes.
There is a mainstream school in Pearl City (Pearl City High School). That school uses ASL interpreters, but I'm not sure what agency they use or if they hire directly through the school district. There's a middle school or high school on the north shore that is also a mainstream program. I forget which school that is though.
There are a few different hospitals on the island. The two main ones are Kapiolani (and Pali Momi) and Queens Medical Center. To get work at these hospitals, you have to get some sort of certification through the hospital itself (ie. attend a class on healthcare privacy laws, etc).
What does your husband do for work? When will you find out about the job transfer? I hope it happens. Hawaii is a great place to live.
I'm still pretty new to this website. I doubt we're allowed to post our email addresses. But, you can email me at gmail. My gmail user name is the same as it is for this AllDeaf site. You can also find us on facebook using that same email address.
SeaJenSurf