By: Jenna Beresheim News Editor
As of Aug. 8, 2015, the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID) announced that a moratorium would be placed on their interpreter certification program.
A moratorium is a temporary prohibition of an activity: in this case, the processing of interpreters wishing to become officially certified.
Certification is required for the majority of interpreting work, although there are some rare situations where it may not be.
“RID has played a leading role in establishing a national standard of quality for interpreters and transliterators,” reads the RID mission statement on their website at www.RID.org.
“[RID] promotes excellence in the delivery of interpreting services among diverse users of signed and spoken languages through professional development, networking, advocacy, and standards,” the mission statement continues.
Western Oregon University is known for its interpreting program, which has been incorporated into the school since 1976.
As of 1993, Western has offered a bachelor’s degree in Education with a major in American Sign Language to English Interpreting.
In 2008, Western’s interpreting program won the Sorenson Video Relay Service Interpreter Education Award of Excellence, and March 2010 saw the program granted accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education. Western’s interpreting program graduates have passing rates higher than the national average for the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) as well.
Each cohort that enters the program takes two years to complete, and individuals interested in starting the program must pass an entrance exam based on skills and ethical practices.
The 2016 interpreting program cohort now faces a dilemma: graduating without being able to progress in a career where certification is necessary but currently unobtainable.
“I am nervous about where I will be working after I graduate if I am unable to become certified,” admits Elizabeth Holland, a fourth year interpreting major in the up-and-coming cohort. “Most of the careers I would like require certification. This would mean potentially delaying working in a field that I am excited about.”
Currently, the moratorium has no prospective end date.
An estimated timeline of when the moratorium may be lifted will be planned out in a meeting of the RID Board of Directors by Nov. 1, 2015. Although on their website, RID states “the outcome of that assessment will determine if, when, and how each exam will come back online.”
“The one major change is that in the spring, we will not be taking the NIC written or performance exams. Several of my classmates and I will still be taking the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA), as that is required for working in a K-12 setting, but [it] is not a certification for interpreting,” reports Holland.
“I was at the RID national conference in New Orleans in August when it was announced,” stated Vicki Darden, an interpreting instructor at Western. “Naturally, there were many concerns and questions from the membership, and RID has put out information in response.”
For now, the interpreting program has adopted a positive wait-and-see attitude and is still willing to sit down with students and discuss what is happening within the community. Instructors and mentors have been taking the time to alleviate fears and answer any questions students may have.
“The professors are very calm and are willing to answer what they can. They tend to sit us down as a class and also one on one to talk about our fears and questions,” affirms Holland.
A majority of ASL interpreting students receive a stipend through the school if they choose to pursue a special education minor along with their degree. Once these students have graduated, they work to pay back this stipend in a special education setting.
