American Sign Language Interpreter

Remote

🎓 Education

ASL Interpreters are tasked with bridging the communication gap between people who can hear and those who are hard of hearing, whether it’s at school, medical facility, church, concert or other location. Quality interpreters can effectively capture and translate spoken information before immediately interpreting it for a hard of hearing audience, often using high-level, specialized vocabulary. To execute this, interpreters must spend large parts of the day concentrating, focusing on auditory and visual information before conveying it. American Sign Language Interpreters may specialize in a specific mode of communication, like oral interpreters, who silently mouth words in English for easier lip-reading. Transliterators are another form of ASL Interpreters who use a visually-coded language that follows the grammatical structure of written English.

What does a American Sign Language Interpreter do?

An American Sign Language Interpreter, or ASL Interpreter, is a person fluent in American Sign Language who facilitates communication between those who can hear and people who are hard of hearing. Their main duties include translating spoken and written words, interpreting signs into English for hearing persons and enabling direct interaction with them in professional or educational settings.

Responsibilities

A American Sign Language Interpreter should be able to fulfill various duties and responsibilities. The following are some duties and responsibilities a American Sign Language Interpreter should be able to execute:

Accurately interpreting spoken work situations like lectures, conversations and meetings
Translating American Sign Language into English
Working with an organization’s faculty to better facilitate communication with hard of hearing members of the community
Collaborating with other ASL Interpreters
Utilizing technology to transcribe spoken English in some settings

Required Skills

A competitive American Sign Language Interpreter will have certain skills and qualifications, including:

A strong grasp of both English and American Sign Language
The ability to facilitate communication with discretion and impartiality
Proficiency in oral and written communication
A wide breadth of knowledge in a variety of topics
Strong social awareness for interpretation with empathy and attentiveness
Understanding of the cultural norms and conventions of the American Deaf Community
The ability to track and remember information and concepts while simultaneously interpreting them
Physical stamina and dexterity for extended interpretation sessions

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