Jacoby

Before the 1960s, Deaf people

relied on family, teachers of the
Deaf, and clergy members to
volunteer their time to interpret.
Interpreting as a profession was
unknown and non-existent. In
1964, RID was established,
initiating the interpreting
profession. RID created ethical
policies, codes of conduct, and
required a minimal skill level be
met by their interpreters which
provided Deaf people with better
access to communication. When
the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) passed in 1990, it required
that all public and private entities
provide equal access to people with
disabilities. For Deaf students
attending college/university, this
mandated the employment of
interpreters.

Higher /
Post- Secondary
Education
Interpreting

Each interpreter agreed that

having a set schedule for a
semester is a unique condition
to higher education
interpreting. Knowing the daily
expectations and seeing the
same client every day is not
common for many interpreting
experiences/settings.
Jen Leeds (Jennifer.leeds@slcc.edu)
Julie Smith (Julie.smith@slcc.edu)
Jim Fenton (james.fenton@slcc.edu)
Go to these links to find more information about the history and
impact of higher/post-secondary education interpreting:
http://www.pepnet.org/sites/default/files/51Interpreting
%20for%20Postsecondary%20Deaf%20Students.pdf
http://infoguides.rit.edu/c.php?g=441626&p=3032134

All the interpreters I interviewed shared

the same opinion that the best benefit of
college interpreting is the variety. Each
semester interpreters get a new schedule
with different classes, new clients, and
new teachers from whom they learn.
Each day they arrive at work they learn
new facts, political views of the younger
generation, new technology, and global
and local current events.

Higher education interpreters face various

challenges. They must depend on students
remaining in their classes for the full semester. If
a student drops a class, the interpreter no longer
has that job. Freelance and part time
employees receive no fringe benefits, for
example, health insurance or retirement plans.
When entering new classes, complicated topics
can arise which may require extensive
preparation. Interpreters may need to research
the topics, read the class material on their own
time, and study the advanced vocabulary related
to the subject.
My interviews revealed that an
internship can be very successful in
a post-secondary education setting.
The student will be exposed to
many topics; however, time in the
hot seat is dependent upon the
class and the content. These
classes are often related to majors
thus are very important to the Deaf
students. The interpreters working
at SLCC praised their colleagues for
supporting a great mentoring
system and I think this would prove
true for all higher education
interpreting settings. Another thing
to consider when interpreting in a
classroom is that all eyes will be on
you throughout the first few weeks
of class!