There is no definite timeline yet, but Bakersfield College may soon be offering classes to students who want to be certified as interpreters for the deaf, according to BC American Sign Language instructor Tom Moran.
Currently ASL classes are offered at BC, but there is no actual interpreter-training program that can lead to certification.
Moran said he is working with Michelle Begendik, deaf services coordinator for BC’s Disabled Student Programs and Services, on writing up a curriculum, which would include an ethics course and a grammar of sign language course as well as a course on how to deal with deaf people who do not know ASL. Students would also be expected to take English 1 and public speaking courses. The curriculum might eventually feature as many as eight courses. Both Moran and Begendik say that they are examining what other colleges are offering in terms of an interpreter preparatory program. Years ago, according to Begendik, only one basic course in interpreter training was offered at BC. For many years now, according to Moran, the department has been interested in offering an actual program. Ultimately, interpreters must receive certification by exam through the Registry for Interpretation for the Deaf or R.I.D., a national agency, according to both Moran and Begendik. However, training at BC would still not be enough for a prospective interpreter to gain employment, said Pam Davis, BC ASL instructor and department chair. According to Davis, it is best for the potential interpreter to get a B.A. as well as national certification and not just local or regional certification.
“It wouldn’t be prudent to hire someone without national certification,” said Davis. “It protects clients for the interpreter to have national certification.”According to Begendik, CSU Fresno and Northridge offer B.A.s in ASL/interpreter training.According to Moran, the certification process is a long and difficult one, and the criteria for certification is constantly undergoing change. To stay certified by R.I.D., the interpreter must continuously stay educated by attending 20 hours of lectures or seminars per year, and R.I.D. must have proof that the interpreter has received a total of 80 units of educational credit for every four years.
Begendik said that there is a growing demand for “trilingual” interpreters who are fluent in Spanish, English and A.S.L.
“There is a national emergency,” said Moran. “The situation is getting worse all the time. We don’t have enough interpreters anywhere.”