Interpreting/Sign Language

The Interpreter Training Program is designed to prepare students to be eligible to take the entry-level state certification exam with the Board for Evaluation of Interpreters as a sign language interpreter. (DARS/DHHS/BEI, P. O. Box 12904, Austin, TX 78711-2904, 512.451.8494, tcdhh@state.tx.us).

Students must attain an overall GPA of 2.0 in all work attempted at HCC, however, students enrolled in the Interpreter Training Program must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all American Sign Language classes as well as interpreter training classes. Students will be tested on Benchmarks for each segment of American Sign Language class and Interpreting classes. (See Program Benchmarks)

Program Outcomes

Students will be able to:

• Develop receptive and expressive skills in American Sign Language and Fingerspelling.
• Demonstrate knowledge and awareness of the differences between the Deaf culture/deaf community and the hearing community.
• Accurately interpret and transliterate between ASL and English in a variety of settings: face-to-face, small group settings, monologue and/or large group settings.
• Apply professional standards, practices, and ethics, not limited to the tenets of the Code of Professional Conduct, to their work.

TSI testing required prior to first enrollment for all AAS degrees and Level II certificates.

The Interpreter Training Program at Houston Community College has in place a series of benchmarks to assure that students are progressing appropriately through the American Sign Language and Interpreting curriculum. Each benchmark assessment is an opportunity to assess where students are in their development of American Sign Language and Interpreting to identify potential problems early so that tutoring can occur if it is needed. Each of these imperative checkpoints is briefly described below.

American Sign Language Assessment-The ASL Benchmark Assessment will be administered as the final exam for SGNL 1401 (ASL I), SGNL 1402 (ASL II), SGNL 2301 (ASL III), and SGNL 2402 (ASL IV), therefore the benchmark is weighted heavily in calculating the students’ grade for the course. Students must pass each ASL Benchmark Assessment with a “B” or better prior to registering for the next ASL course. If a student does not pass the final benchmark assessment, remediation/tutoring will be required and the ASL Benchmark Assessment will be administered a second time prior to the start of the next semester.

Mid-Program Evaluation – The mid-program evaluation consists of three parts. The first is a written exam over course content for the core departmental courses taken during the first year. This is followed by a written exam that assesses students’ ability to watch a signed discourse and answer questions based on that stimulus. Finally, students are asked to demonstrate their ability to express themselves in American Sign Language. Students are required to have completed the following courses prior to sitting for the mid-program evaluation: SGNL 1401 (ASL I), SGNL 1402 (ASL II), SGNL 2301 (ASL III), SGNL 2402 (ASL IV), SLNG 1317 (Introduction to the Deaf Community), SLNG 1311 (Fingerspelling and Numbers), SLNG 1307 (Intra-lingual Skills), and SLNG 1321 (Introduction to the Interpreting Profession).

English Proficiency Exam – The English Proficiency Exam is administered at the end of the semester by Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) while the student is registered for SLNG 1248-Vocabulary Development for Interpreters. When the student receives their TEP exam results from BEI, they must turn in a copy of test results to the ITP department.

Benchmark Evaluation for Students at the conclusion of Interpreting I, Interpreting II, and Interpreting III. – The Benchmark Evaluation for Students is meant to serve as a mock evaluation experience. Interpreting I, II, and III Benchmark Evaluation is geared to the students expected skill level at the end of the semester. This evaluation serves as the final exam for the course and is weighted heavily in calculating the students’ grade for the course. The Benchmark Evaluation is intended to ensure that students have mastered the necessary skills to move on to the next higher interpreting course.

Exit Evaluation – The exit evaluation is a comprehensive exam taken as the final exam during the internship. The purpose of this comprehensive exam is to assess students’ mastery of the entire curriculum. This exam is similar to the course content written exam in the mid-program evaluation with the exception that this exam also includes core courses taken after the mid-program evaluation.

The Interpreter Training Program is designed to prepare students to be eligible to take the entry-level state certification exam with the Board for Evaluation of Interpreters as a sign language interpreter.

HHS DHHS
Attention BEI Office
P. O. Box 12306
Austin, TX 78711
512.451.8494
email: dhhs.bei@hhsc.state.tx.us.

2019 Third-Party Licensure/Certification Exam Results

Occupational licensure and/or certification pass rates reported by calendar year (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31). No graduates sat for the exam in 2019 or 2018. Results for the 2017 calendar year are provided for comparison.

There are 1,469 Interpreters and Translators employed in the Greater Houston Area. This number is expected to increase by 24.6% over the next four years.

• The estimated annual job openings is 127 jobs a year.
• Median Wages - $25.42 hourly, $53,000 annually