ASL/Interpreter Education Program, A.A.S.

Ruby Losh, ASL/IEP Program Coordinator
ATC 223B / (304) 816-0658
Ruby.Losh@pierpont.edu

Program Purpose

The A.A.S ASL/Interpreter Education Program is a two-year degree designed to train individuals to become ASL conversationalists and/or professional ASL interpreters. This program provides individuals with the professional knowledge and skills that meet or exceed the minimum professional standards necessary to perform in a broad range of interpreting assignments. This program will prepare individuals for the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) and Virginia Quality Assurance Screening (VQAS).

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the A.A.S degree in the ASL/Interpreter Education Program, graduates will be able to do the following:

• Produce an utterance in the target language that conveys the original meaning/intent and maintains dynamic equivalence between the individuals engaged in the interaction
• Demonstrate unique skills required for interpreting in specialized settings, applying their preferred sign language
• Explain the role of the interpreter/translator to both deaf and hearing consumers of interpreting services
• Describe/discuss the missions and roles of various agencies/organizations that serve the deaf community

Opportunities

The career opportunities for an interpreter for the Deaf include working in educational, medical, legal, mental health, religious, social, and community-based employment.

Graduates may choose to apply this Associate degree to a Baccalaureate degree program in Interpreter Training. Graduates may also choose to use this Associate degree to compliment a variety of Baccalaureate degrees, including Education and Child Development or a Board of Regents degree, which provides students with a plan of study of their own design that may be appropriate for interpreting assignments.

Program Requirements

Students must successfully complete the program with grades of “C” or better in all AMSL or ITTP courses to graduate. In order to be admitted to the ASL/IEP Program, a student must be admitted to Pierpont Community & Technical College. Students will be assigned a first-year ASL/IEP advisor who will assist the students in selecting and enrolling in classes. In order to continue into the second year of the AAS Interpreter Education Program, the student must successfully complete the first year of study and program application for the second year of the ASL/IEP program. Students entering the second year of the program must submit to and pay for a fingerprinting and criminal background check and proof of current PPD (tuberculosis) immunization. Additional requirements may be added at any time.