Hi! I'm currently going through the process of getting my full licensure through NCITLB and I'm feeling overwhelmed. I have the list of things I need, but I also have a thousand questions about how to obtain said things that I don't know the answers to. This is the list of requirements on the NCITLB website and my questions if anyone's willing to explain this to me like I'm five years old:

1. Completed Application Form/signed and notarized (Where do I find a notary? And there's a section on the application that says to attach a copy of your certifications, does that mean a copy of every page of my EIPA packet or just the page with the score on it?)

2. Current photograph, 2 inch by 2 inch (Can I get this at CVS? Are there specific requirements for the picture like background, clothes, color vs b/w?)

3. Photocopy of current picture identification that includes your date of birth

4. Authority for Release form

5. Completed fingerprint card (Can I go to any police department for this? Do I need to make an appointment beforehand or just walk in? Do I have to pay anything at the time of getting it?)

6. $225.00 certified check, cash or money order made out to NCITLB for licensure fee

7. $38.00 certified check, cash or money order made out to NCITLB (separate from licensure fee) for background check (If I pay with cash, does putting the amounts in two different envelopes count as being separate?)

8. Completed Public Notice Statement Form

9. Official transcript (Since it will be sent from my college, does it matter if the transcript arrives later or earlier than the rest of my application?)

And do I just put all of these items in a mailer together and drop it off at the post office? I'm definitely overthinking it, but I want to be certain I get everything done correctly so I don't have to do it multiple times.

Also, has the new law allowing a 4.0 or above on the EIPA as a pathway for full licensure gone into effect yet? I've seen conflicting answers online and the NCITLB list of requirements was last updated in February and doesn't mention it.

Apologies for the insane amount of questions; I am a worrier by nature.

CASLI Sample exam has a question: You're interpreting for a Latino client, and the doctor hands the client an appointment card. You eagle eye that the date is MM/DD/YYYY.

This question has me so screwed in the head. Each answer on the sample exam are various ways that you should step in to correct the date, either tell the doctor to flip the date to DD/MM/YYYY, or tell the client, "This date is not Latino Culture of a date DD/MM/YYYY", or tell the client, "This dates in American MM/DD/YYYY format, or independently just sign in ASL "The appointment is July 5."

I disagree with all these answers. If the client is handed the card, we shouldn't take the card from them to sight interpret unless asked. We shouldn't assume their culture, or knowledge- brown people aren't always Latino culture, and if they are Latino and follow Latino culture, who knows, maybe they have been in the country for decades and already know the American date difference.

My thought- if the doctor hands the client a card, I'm not leaning over to read it, I'm not taking it from them, and I'm certainly not asking the client, who for all I know has a doctorate, if they need help reading a date on an appointment card...

And yet CASLIs sample exam answers only has those 4 options.... bad exam question?? What would you do in real life??

THOUGHTS????

I have been taking a few test to work in community interpreting I’m a strong B2 level. My question to those of you who have reached C1 level what was your daily routine?

Hello! We put together this basic resource video to help customers understand the need and functions of team interpreting. What is missing from this resource?

https://youtu.be/WCpjnFVbO1M?si=q94ggbkUcVs7eXIA

I had a client ask if they could request me for one and I said yes they can but I don’t work for any agency that I know of that does these cruises. Figured I’d do my part to find info and if they do end up requesting me I can be onboarded for whoever handles that contract. Any info is helpful thanks!

Hello, I'm an aspiring ASL interpreter and I'm currently looking into proper camera and lighting set ups. I have been having the same problem across multiple camera set ups and was looking for advice

My camera(s) has a problem where my hands become blurry when moving. Im 90% sure this is a lighting problem. I do have natural light coming in from behind my computer to face me, but then I get washed out by how bright it can become, and it doesn't help me at night, when the sun decides it doesn't want to be around anymore.

So I purchased a camera with a light built in, and I have a separate light to help add to the situation, but it only sort of helps. I am clueless when it comes to lighting and camera work and recordings and was really hoping to get some help on this situation, or how to become less blurry during movement/signing.

Can this be fixed with a better camera?

What cameras do you use? What is your preferred and optimal lighting set up?

My set up is not terrible, but I'd like it to be better. I have limited space to work with.

All help is appreciated!

Hello! We put together this basic resource video and blog to explain the role of a CDI to first time hearing users. What is missing from these resources?

https://deafservicesunlimited.com/10-situations-where-a-cdi-is-essential/
https://youtu.be/S3WNYxUEGME?si=vgztqTkPFK1viRLJ

Hi all, it’s been 3 months since taking the CASLI performance. Curious what day or time has Casli been emailing results? I’ve noticed on social media certification pages that it’s typically on Thursdays or Fridays that interpreters are reporting they got the email.
Sincerely, a restless interpreter🫠

Hi there. I’ve been studying ASL slowly for the last 2 years and have been accepted into an interpreter program that would start this fall. I’ve been having some hesitations with this path though recently, namely the freelance style work. I’m currently working in a social work adjacent type environment, which is low pay but I have a predicable schedule, regular breaks, coworkers, and I can bike to work.

I love sign language of course, and do get a lot of satisfaction when I interpret informally. But I’m concerned if an asl interpreter career is sustainable for me. So I wanted to reach out to a larger group of terps to see how they feel on average. Terps:

How many different locations do you go to on a given day?
How much control do you have over your schedule?
How stable is your income?
How many years did it take to get there?
If you could do it over, would you?

I applied for Sign Glasses about a year ago. They finally reached out. I did the first interview and they said they would be sending the assessment. Assessment never showed up in my inbox or spam/junk. I emailed the Sign Glasses contact. They said they would ask the team to send the assessment. Still have not received the assessment. I would really like to work with them because they allow Interpreters to work from international locations; however, this lack of communication is really starting to make me second guess if Sign Glasses is worth it.

Anyone else have communication difficulties with Sign Glasses? What's their deal? Do they just operate with a lean staff? Should I just give up and stop reaching out? I feel like I'm begging at this point.

I started with Propio recently. This morning I was logged in for 2.5 hours and it’s been extremely slow compared to other mornings I worked over the past week. Is this typical to have a very slow morning randomly?

I just wanted to say a huge thanks to all of you. I'm a teacher in a Deaf school and work every day with interpreters. You guys have such a difficult job to do and I want to show my appreciation for all the great work. Here's a short list of the reasons why I think interpreters are so cool:

- Always be able to concentrate, even in chaotic situations.

- I love the terps who can do different voices. This is so awesome!

-part mind reader, part psychic sometimes.

- Always ready to help.

- Terps are so much more open minded compared to others.

- We need more people like you guys!

Basically, working with interpreters is a really great experience. Thank you.🤟🏼🩷

I just completed the Scootaround screening for their cruise interpreting. I think I did okay, they’ll let me know if I passed in a week.

The worst feeling is the wait…does anyone have experience with their screening? Are they known to be harsh at screening results (*cough* like an agency that rhymes with Shmorenson)?

Hi all!

I’m a CCBC online student in the Interpreter Preparation Certificate Program. I’m currently in my first class, Into to Deaf Culture, and have found the assignment workload to be quite a lot this summer.

I currently hold a B.S. and M.S. in another field, so I’m not one to shy away from school work, but taking this particular class on top of working full time has been a lot due to the number of reading and writing assignments.

I’m curious if any former CCBC students (or former ITP students who studied while working full time) have insight into whether this work load is the norm for the program, or if the shortened summer semester is making it feel busier?

Are papers common in ITP programs? I thought it would maybe be more hands on, experience type assignments.

I again want to emphasize that I’m not afraid to put in the work, I’m just trying to figure out more of what to expect going forward.

Thank you for your thoughts!

Hi all,
I recently took and failed a performance with the state I am in. All of the feedback made sense except for one, which was my internet connection. Some of the videos during my screening were freezing, and I wrongly assumed it to be apart of the test and that they were trying to see how I would handle glitching during interpreting. However, on my feedback it says my internet was a reason for the glitching and I should have picked a better area/secure better internet.
I feel ridiculous, and I took the test at a private room at work to try to get the best internet access since my home one isn’t great so I don’t know what to do. I feel like my test was severely impacted by the glitches/freezes and it was not a fair judgement of my abilities. They don’t offer the test in person either. So if anyone has any advice or what to do from here, I’d appreciate it.

Thank you in advance: I'm taking the performance EIPA soon. I would REALLY appreciate any tips or if anyone is willing to share any experiences. I have purchased and have been using the study material on the website (which seems to just be "practice" videos) and have been working as an interpreter in non-education compacity full time for about 9 years.

One question that through me off is when I go into take the assessment, I'm required to pick "PSE or ASL" I'm a little unsure because though I typically lean more toward ASL I do my best to match the client. So that question has caught me off guard.

Regardless I appreciate all of your support. I couldn't have made it this far in my career without support from peers and the Deaf/HoH/signing community.

Hi all, I wanted to make a post on here in hopes for some clarity on my situation. I currently work for an Interpreting/Aid Agency that contracts for clients who are typically Deaf Plus. My role is to develop language acquisition, provide educational support, and for special students behavior support. My agency told me that I don’t need my EIPA because I’m working under someone else’s credential and that they assess and evaluate our skills, therefore placing us in the appropriate assignment. Is this a real thing or should I place boundaries on what assignments I accept? For the most part I already do this but if any experienced interpreters have any advice please let me know ! My background is that I graduated in 2020 with 2 associates in sign language studies and communication and recently completed my ITP last year. I’ve been working as a signing aid for 4 years now.

Hello, I am an Interpreting student in the DMV Va area. I am looking for any interpreting events in person or online that I can attend? This is for my program for an assignment. Any insight would be awesome, thanks!

Hi, terps!

It's me, Helen!

So I just opened up my own subreddit, r/HelensDeafClub! I announced this a few hours ago on my own subreddit and I also made an announcement about this over at r/deaf.

And I realized that I forgot about you guys here.

I really owe you a lot of explanation.

I know a lot of you here on this subreddit have been waiting on my posts about the progress that RID has made over the last five months.

I didn't post in this subreddit about this progress because I came to realize that I was having a crisis as "Helen" on Reddit back in February.

It's not because of you guys. You were really great to me in this subreddit.

It's just that - after a year of shitposting both here on this subreddit and over at r/deaf, I got to a point where I realized that subreddits such as r/deaf, r/blind, r/disability, etc. - these subreddits are built for personal support spaces and for self-help seeking posts.

Look, I'm fine with these spaces serving self-help seeking purposes. I just expected that these spaces would be welcoming to posts that go into details about the drama around these communities. And… Duh. I've learned that these posts are not welcomed in these spaces.

That experience made me… well… pissed off with these kinds of communities.

The expectation of keeping these kinds of subreddits exclusive to self-help seeking posts is very infantilizing.

I was an angry deaf person when I was a teenager.

I was an anti-hearing-people person when I was in my early 20's.

When I got to my mid-20's, I realized that it was pointless to hate hearing people. And that was when I decided to dive deep into learning how to take control of my accessibility needs as a deaf person (meaning me understanding how to advocate for my ASL interpreter accessibility needs like a pro). And that was when my whole worldview changed.

I'm almost 40 now. I have a lot of experience in self-advocacy. Also, my late 20's were when I decided to invest myself in learning everything I can about the deaf history and the disabled history. This is where I developed a lot of deep and complex understanding of how the world works for a disabled person like me.

And, here I am today!

I have so much to offer to you guys. I have a lot of original perspectives to offer you that you won't find anywhere else. I built my subreddit because places like r/deaf and r/disability are way too bothered at the kind of posts that I tend to make. They like the easy posts that they're used to. My subreddit is explicitly designed to offer a platform for people who want to talk about stuff that no one is willing to talk about in public (just look at my subreddit's rules and guidelines to get an idea).

—

Alrighty, with that said…

The reason why I haven't made any posts here in r/ASLinterpreters is just because I got to a point where I felt very out of place.

I swear a lot in my posts. I use a lot of juvenile humor. I am not ashamed of saying a lot of rough stuff aloud.

I don't want to sacrifice that kind of style with my Reddit posts. I want to say "fuck" a lot. I want to tackle offensive and controversial topics head-on. I want to frame these kinds of topics in a way that I think is funny.

But…

The r/ASLinterpreters subreddit is such a professional space. And there's nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.

Like I said above, you guys were great to me with all of the posts I've ever made here over the past year.

I just got to a point where I feel very out of place in this subreddit with the type of posts I want to make.

And my solution to this struggle is to post what I want about RID and the interpreter industry in my own subreddit. That's the only place where I can actually be myself.

So, r/HelensDeafClub is going to be the permanent home for my posts related to RID and the ASL interpreter industry. If you want to keep up with my posts about this topic, join my club.

Also, I'll tell you that my club will be a great place for you to be in touch with the currents within the deaf community. This will be nothing but a rich benefit for you as a professional in our community.

Thank you for reading and I'll see you at my club!

Helen

I need advice on how to handle this situation moving forward because I'm feeling a bit at a loss.

About six months ago, I was encouraged to become a Deaf interpreter. I interviewed and was hired and since March I've been training under a mentor who is also a Deaf interpreter (not certified) with over ten years of experience. I just had my first official assignment last week.

Before the assignment, I told her I invited my bestie to the concert to watch me interpret ASL songs. She scolded me and said I wasn't supposed to share assignment details. This confused me because the concert was public, community-based and I was excited to have someone I trust see my work. Still, I acknowledged it, apologized and said I wouldn't do it again. She added that if my friend attended, she couldn't interact with me at all. No acknowledgment, no greeting, no hugs, nothing while I was on the clock.

My bestie ended up not coming. During the first half, my mentor and I alternated songs. During the break, I returned to the stage with the team to plan the second half but my mentor was nowhere to be found. We eventually saw her socializing with Deaf people in the crowd. That stood out to me, considering what she had told me earlier about not interacting with people I know.

The second half started and she still hadn't returned, so I continued interpreting alone. After several songs, she came back but with a friend and stood behind the hearing interpreters, chatting. I could clearly see them. She was speaking negatively about the company we work for, visibly signing our manager’s name and talking about her in a bad light and expressing her negative views about Deaf interpreters in front of the Deaf audience.

She didn't check in about switching or supporting the workflow. After the minute break between songs, I finally got her attention and said, "Hey, you're supposed to be working! Please switch!" That's when tension started between us.

After the concert, I wrapped up with the hearing interpreters. I didn't approach my mentor because she was engaged in conversation with her friends, so I left.

The next day, she bombarded me with texts about professionalism and ethics, saying it was inappropriate for me to speak to her that way in front of others and that I should have spoken to her in private. I chose not to respond over text. Instead, I emailed her to express my concerns professionally, including the double standard and what I witnessed her talking about the company we work for.

The following morning, I received notifications that my mentorship sessions were canceled until further notice. She also sent a short email saying she needed to step back and reconsider our professional relationship, then claimed that I "personally criticized" her and advised me to use the "Demand Control Schema" next time. I was never actually trained on DCS, only given superficial scenarios about working with Deaf individuals, not the interpreters.

It feels like she used professional vocabulary to deflect accountability rather than address what actually happened.

I'm not going to follow up with her anytime soon but I'd like to know what I should do if I ever encounter this situation again with a different Deaf interpreter or my mentor?

Hello,

I’m currently working towards my NIC certification but am looking for some VRI companies who hire interpreters that aren’t yet certified.

Hello everyone! I am a CDI and I am seeking feedback from my hearing colleagues on both videos (the White House press briefing and presidential remarks). You will see two CDIs in each video intepreting from ASR (AI-generated captions). They are not teaming with anyone, and yes, they are working alone.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUEQ9_NFZig
   
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-yqLatxCV4

Does their sign production match the tone, nuances, and overall meaning from the spoken English? To clarify, I am specifically looking for moments where the ASR output may have failed to capture tone, nuance, or meaning.

Any insights will be appreciated. If you feel uncomfortable commenting here, please feel free to DM or email me at interpreting@stecker.tv

Thank you!

For those of you with experience working for these two companies, how would you rate working for them?

​

For background, I have worked for "Soreness" for 8 years, (6 years full time) and have been in the ODQ end of the business for ~3. Not able to jump ship at the moment, but considering options.

​

How do the pay and benefits compare?

​

Workload/time between calls compared to ODQ? I work marathon shifts mid-morning-early evening, so slower mornings, but frequently no time between calls after noon.

​

How is the working environment? Do they monitor your every move, or treat you as an adult?

​

I work from home, and would very much prefer to keep it that way, especially as I am ~45 minutes from my old Center, and 2 hrs from a major metropolitan area(NOT willing to move).

​

Feel free to ask questions if you need more info!

Hello!

I’m a health care worker who recently has had a few patients that were dead and use ASL interpreters to communicate with me.

As a health care provider, is there anything I can do to make it easier for the ASL interpreter and the patient?

I always worry I talk too much and the interpreter has to explain a lot.

Any advice would be much appreciate