Welcome to Tidewater Community College’s American Sign Language Studies and Interpreter Education program website for a basic overview of both our American Sign Language and ASL-English Interpreter Education Program.

Our American Sign Language classes are conducted in alignment with the National  Standards of Foreign Language Learning’s Five “C”s, which are Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons and Communities. Our face-to-face ASL classes are social and interactive in nature and you learn ASL from a Native Signing Deaf Adult, in a classroom using ASL as the primary language of instruction. Our online ASL classes teach the history and culture of the American Deaf Community, the linguistics of ASL, and explores various careers outside of ASL-English Interpretation working with Deaf and hard of hearing people and using American Sign Language. Each ASL class requires observation and, later as you become more fluent in ASL, interaction with the local Deaf community and native signing Deaf adults. While, at first, many ASL students are nervous about attending these events or meeting Deaf folks, but then after having breaking the ice, most students report having a great deal of fun meeting Deaf people, other ASL and interpreting students and professional interpreters as well. After the first “social”, you’ll most likely find that this homework is more fun than your other homework!

Our ASL-English Interpreter Education program requires that all students have proficiency in both ASL and English prior to beginning the program. After having completed ASL 202   - or obtaining your ASL Career Studies Certificate and after having qualified to take ENG 111 via placement testing, you will be eligible to being taking our Interpreter Education courses.

The Interpreter Education Program is designed to prepare our students to begin working within the ASL-English Interpreting field.  Our Interpreter Education program has courses offered both online and in the classroom. Our schedule is designed to accommodate busy and working students. Face to face classes meet in the evenings; twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays for first year students and Tuesday and Thursdays for second year students. The first year, you will focus heavily on further development of both ASL and English skills, and begin honing translation skills between the two languages. In your second year, you will have extensive practice in translating between ASL and English. The last “third” year or the very last semester is actually your internship. A successfully completed internship of 150 hours will help prepare for an entry level position within the field. The Interpreter Education program will help you learn how to appropriately apply the Professional Code of Conduct, research and prepare for freelance assignments, network with your colleagues, and develop professional skills and appreciation for continued professional development and networking.

Again, welcome! If you ever have any questions or need any guidance, please do not hesitate to contact Star Grieser, the program chair, with any questions. We look forward to meeting you and working with you in the very near future!