Want to be a Terp

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carrigantm9636

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Hey all,
I'm recently considering transferring schools. This may or may nor include changing my original education plan as well. As it stands, if I stay at the college I'm at, I am planning on getting my BA in health care administration after 2 more years, and afterwards go for a bachelor's or masters in ASL interpreting. If I transfer (which is looking likely), I will either stick with that plan, or I was thinking about just going straight for what I really want to do, which is interpret.

I have several questions for those of you who know something about the interpreter education process:

-What schools are best for this? Please disregard money, location, etc in your answer; I just want to know, academically, where is it best to go for the best training?

-Are there programs out there just for interpreters in the health field? Are there programs which offer ASL majors "with a focus in health care interpreting", or something like that?

- Are there any private/public scholarships, grants, etc I should be aware of either for HoH people or for people who want to be terps? Financial aid is a big issue for me right now, though not the deciding factor.

- Anything else you think I should know on this issue? What are your personal reccomendations? Anecdotes are welcomed, definitely!

Thank you all so much!
 
carrigantm9636 said:
What schools are best for this? Please disregard money, location, etc in your answer; I just want to know, academically, where is it best to go for the best training?
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I know only about the school where I acquired my terp training, so I can't make any recommendations about other schools. Sorry.

Are there programs out there just for interpreters in the health field? Are there programs which offer ASL majors "with a focus in health care interpreting", or something like that?
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Not to my knowledge. Generally, a terp learns the interpreting process that applies to all fields. Then, the terp either gets additional specialized training, or takes courses in a minor that would fit that specialized field.

Are there any private/public scholarships, grants, etc I should be aware of either for HoH people or for people who want to be terps? Financial aid is a big issue for me right now, though not the deciding factor.
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There is financial help out there, some for all students regardless of major, and some specifically for future terps. My state (SC) has the SCIRT progam that helps terp students. It's a state program, so you probably have to check with each state and school for aid that is specific to your area.

Have you looked at the RID website link for interpreter education? It might have some info there that you can use.
 
Agreed, most programs are pretty broad spectrum. Often there will be a single course on specialized interpreting but there is not usually an entire sub-program for it. Minoring in your chosen field is a good way to do it; if you've already got the BA in health care administration, you probably have a good start on this.

Others might disagree with me on this, but I am going to say that Gallaudet is the best program you can go to. This is mostly because four-year programs are hard to come by, and they are frequently not a whole lot better or worse than each other. By attending Gallaudet, you will also get immersion in Deaf culture. Washington DC is also one of the best places in the country for interpreters to work - the pay is excellent and there's always jobs.
 
Etoile said:
Agreed, most programs are pretty broad spectrum. Often there will be a single course on specialized interpreting but there is not usually an entire sub-program for it. Minoring in your chosen field is a good way to do it; if you've already got the BA in health care administration, you probably have a good start on this.

Others might disagree with me on this, but I am going to say that Gallaudet is the best program you can go to. This is mostly because four-year programs are hard to come by, and they are frequently not a whole lot better or worse than each other. By attending Gallaudet, you will also get immersion in Deaf culture. Washington DC is also one of the best places in the country for interpreters to work - the pay is excellent and there's always jobs.
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O would definately agree with your assessment regarding Gally. Not only dothey have a good 4 year program, you receive the experience of interacting with the Deaf/deaf community the entire time you are training. That experience in and of itself is priceless. I know that Wright State in Dayton, Ohio has a good terping program (4 year) and that they also hook up with numerous other organizations to provide excellent exposure to the Deaf community. They aslo offer specialized degrees in area like mental health care with a focus on the deaf population, where all the internships are done within the deaf population.
 
Wow a 4 year program? Here in canada the program is two years... I have applied but I still have a screening weekend.. EEK.
 
Do you need to know ASL before you enter the program or is learning ASL part of the program in the states? Here you must be proficient in ASL which means you can hold a conversation with someone

I am amazed that our program is only 2 years and yours is 4, whats the difference? LOL
 
RDC_girl said:
Do you need to know ASL before you enter the program or is learning ASL part of the program in the states? Here you must be proficient in ASL which means you can hold a conversation with someone

I am amazed that our program is only 2 years and yours is 4, whats the difference? LOL
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In the USA, there are two and four year programs. I think they all require fluency in ASL before acceptance into the actual interpreting program. Some schools provide ASL courses as a way to fulfill the ASL requirement but that must be done before acceptance into the terp program.

The only way to know for sure is to check on the specific school. There is no "one size fits all".

Check this:

https://rid.org/acct-app/index.cfm?action=search.ITP

Select "Associate" or "Bachelor" and leave the other blocks blank. You will get the national list.
 
Thanks Reba... There are few choices in Canada for the interpreter program. I am moving provinces to go to school, that is if I get accepted.
 
Even though you said to disregard location, I still think it is important.

It would be best to participate in an interpreter program where there is a deaf community (big or small) so that your learnings can be applied.

I would trust an interpreter from a school/town where there are hundreds or thousands of deaf people over an interpreter from a school/town there deaf people hardly exist.
 
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