Identifying Standards for the Training of Interpreters for Deaf People

Major findings of a national project on identifying standards for the training of interpreters for deaf people are presented. The data produced for this project was based on information collected from two separate national surveys during Summer and Fall, 1987. Selected findings on the student, faculty, and program characteristicsof51federal and non-federal sponsored interpreter training programs are presented. Attention is then directed to a summary of the opinions of a sample of403 interpreter educators, interpreting service professionals, and deaf and hearing consumers regarding desirable competencies for interpreter trainees to attain as part of their training. Finally, drawing on selected findings from the project, five (5) recommendations for future action are presented, with focus on the role of federal leadership in support of interpreter training