Associate of Applied Science in American Sign Language - Sign Language Interpreter

San Antonio College (Alamo Colleges)

The American Sign Language Program is part of the Languages & Philosophy Department. The A.A.S. in Deaf Support Specialist is a two-year program that teaches the skills needed to work with the unique American Deaf Community. The program provides a supportive, immersive learning environment that moves students directly into the workforce as advocates, members of educational teams, and more. Interpreting students gain the expertise required to facilitate communication between Deaf and hearing individuals. The program covers ASL, the interpreting process, the interpreting profession, Deaf culture, and various specialized interpreting settings. Admission into the Interpreting program requires prerequisite courses as well as in house screening. A qualified Sign Language Interpreter is responsible for facilitating communication between consumers that are Deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing by interpreting between English and American Sign Language. Interpreting refers to the process of preserving the meaning from one natural language to another natural language. When we interpret, it involves the unrehearsed, not written (i.e., spoken or signed) conversion of a message from one language (called the source language) to a second language (called the target language). (Department of Linguistics and Interpreting Gallaudet University, 1991) A Sign Language Interpreter must also act as a cultural mediator when working with consumers who are Deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing.