Interpreting (INTP)

Program Option: B.A.

St. Kate's offers you a nationally recognized education in ASL-English interpretation. As an interpreter, you will need excellent analytical skills, ethical decision-making skills and communication skills, as well as in-depth cultural and linguistic knowledge. A strong liberal arts background is also crucial in order for you to develop the knowledge and competencies you will need to work in the interpreting field.

The interpreting major helps you develop a specialized ability to facilitate communication between Deaf people and those who can hear, with the goal of passing the national interpreting certification exam. As a major, you will be constantly striving to increase your language proficiency and range, both in ASL and English. All courses you take with an ASL prefix will be taught in ASL, without the use of spoken English. Majors are also encouraged to pursue a minor in language studies and/or participate in a study abroad program to further their knowledge of language issues.

The push for greater access for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people has increased the demand for well-educated, professional interpreters. When you graduate with a degree in interpreting, you may find career opportunities in a variety of settings. Interpreters are needed in many situations, including professional meetings, prenatal classes, medical appointments, parent-teacher conferences, counseling, job interviews, concerts, theater and city council meetings. There is also a rapidly expanding job market for video relay interpreting.

While at St. Kate's you'll find many opportunities to use what you learn, both on and off campus. On campus you may participate in the ASL Club, organizing cultural and social events such as an ASL poetry reading or a theatrical performance. Students have also participated in the academic mentorship program as research assistants, program assistants and teaching assistants. Off campus, students have found opportunities at local deaf schools, government agencies, theatrical venues, community organizations and political organizations. Nationally, students have attended conferences and internationally they have participated in volunteer efforts in countries such as Kenya and Jamaica.

In your senior year, you will complete a community-based internship, which may take place in a variety of settings, including education, healthcare, government, non-profit, rehabilitation or human services. Interpreting students help determine their placement and have completed their internships in agencies in locations across Minnesota as well as in California, Arizona, Washington State and Washington D.C.

St. Kate's is a leader in interpreter education and has been designated by the U.S. Department of Education as one of five regional centers in the country to receive federal funding to advance the field of interpreter education. If you are interested in a discipline that includes the study of language, culture, ethics, critical thinking and communication, interpreting may be for you!

The ability to communicate in ASL and in English is critical to both professional responsibilities and personal relationships, therefore:

A minimum grade of B- (2.667) is required for all pre-requisite courses to be considered for admission into the major.*

A minimum grade of B- (2.667) is required for an ASL or INTP course to be counted toward the major.*

If a student does not receive a minimum grade of B- (2.667), credit toward the major may be gained only by repeating the course and not by proficiency exam. Courses may be repeated once.

*Applies to coursework begun on or after September 03, 2003.

See also: American Sign Language.

Major Requirements:

ASL 2500 Fingerspelling Lab
ASL 2010 Introduction to American Deaf Culture
ASL 3020 ASL Linguistics or INTP 2020 Introduction to the Interpreting Profession
ASL 3330 ASL Classifiers
INTP 3050 ASL & English Text Analysis
INTP 3060 ASL/English Translation
INTP 3210 Ethics and Decision Making
INTP 4050 Consecutive Interpreting
INTP 4060 Simultaneous Transliteration and Interpreting
INTP 4210 Senior Seminar
INTP 4604 Internship

At least one of the following:
ASL 3130 Conversational ASL
INTP 4310 Healthcare Interpreting
INTP 4410 Educational Interpreting

Required supporting course work:*
ASL 1110, 1120 Beginning American Sign Language I & II
ASL 2110, 2120 Intermediate American Sign Language I & II
ASL 3110, 3120 Advanced American Sign Language I & II
ENGL 3050 Introduction to Linguistics
ENGL 3100 Language as Power
PHIL 2200 Ethics
One communication studies course and one sociology course, selected with a departmental advisor

*Second major Interpreting students only need to complete the ASL required supporting courses, not the English, Philosophy, Communication and Sociology courses.

Interpreting majors satisfy the Writing Requirement for Majors by completing INTP 4210. You complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirement with three other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000 and CORE 3990, and any other writing-intensive course in another department).