What do sign language interpreting agencies do? First and foremost, they provide services to interpret messages between deaf and hearing people. Sign language interpreting agencies provide a necessary service that allows deaf individuals to enjoy the same quality of life as hearing individuals.

Agencies provide a wide variety of services; however, most have certain services in common. These include general assignments, medical and mental health assignments, legal assignments, and special assignments. Depending on the situation, interpreters may call on different skills to communicate effectively. Therefore, the agencies need to know ahead of time if any specialized knowledge is needed, so they can assign the proper interpreter.

Sign Language Interpreting Agencies Assignments

General assignments involve staff, clients, or general meetings, job interviews, and personal activities. These do not require any type of expert or legal or medical terminology. With medical assignments, however, interpreters need to know medical terminology and how to translate it into sign language.

The same goes for legal assignments. In these cases, interpreters must be able to translate legal jargon into sign language, and vice versa. These assignments might include court hearings, depositions, police interrogations, or trials. Special assignments include religious ceremonies, tri-lingual (such as English/Spanish and ASL) communications, and conferences. Sign language interpreting agencies can handle all these needs and more. The more information you provide them ahead of time, the better they will be able to help you get a qualified interpreter.