Interpreter Training

Welcome

Welcome to the Web Page for Interpreter Training at MCC. Some of our students are planning a career as a sign language interpreter. Others are learning sign language to communicate with a friend or relative, or to fulfill foreign language requirements for a 4-year college or university. We hope this information is helpful to you. Please feel free to contact the instructors for additional information.

Mission Statement

The Interpreter Training Program at MCC is designed to teach the basic interpreting skills and the ethical behavior required of professional interpreters providing services to Deaf and hard-of-hearing persons. Our goal is to enable students not only to be prepared for entry-level certification, but to develop skills that will facilitate life-long learning within the Deaf Community.

Professional opportunities for sign language interpreters are as wide-ranging as the communities in which we live. Interpreters work in rehabilitation, education, state and local government, medical facilities, legal practices and other community services. Once you enter the field, you can enhance your career growth by earning advanced levels of certification through the Texas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

A Unique Program

McLennan Community College is one of only nine colleges in Texas that offers you access to these opportunities through its Interpreter Training Program. Our program is designed to prepare students for entry-level jobs in the interpreting profession. Basic to our program is the study of Deafness, its cultural aspects and ethical behavior for interpreters. We teach American Sign Language (ASL) and other modes of communication used by the Deaf community. The intensive, two-year program earns you an Associate of Applied Science degree and prepares you to take the Level I Interpreters Certificate Exam, the entry-level standard for interpreters in Texas.

Our staff of certified interpreters, all with varied and extensive interpreting experience, teach students not only the mechanics of interpreting but cultural considerations as well. In our lab, we utilize the skills of Deaf instructors, who often are the first Deaf people many students meet and who provide a wealth of information about the Deaf community and language.

But classroom theory and laboratory training tell only half the story. We enhance students´ learning by requiring internship courses, where they observe certified interpreters and, with their guidance, begin interpreting in a working environment.

The MCC program also offers study tours, where students get a first-hand look at state agencies, schools and organizations serving Deaf people. At the local level, we sponsor workshops and help students interact with the Deaf community through various groups, including the Central Texas Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. This council, with headquarters at MCC, serves clients in 16 counties.

For those who are not seeking a degree or a career as an interpreter, our program also offers other options:

  • One-year Certificate of Completion in Studies in Deafness. Teaches the basics of sign language and Deaf culture.
  • Transfer Courses. Courses in American Sign Language now meet foreign language requirements at many four-year colleges.
  • Communication skills. For people with Deaf family members or friends, our courses can enhance signing and communication skills and lead to more fulfilling relationships.

You, too, can be a part of the fascinating field of sign language interpreting. For more information about Interpreter Training at McLennan Community College, call the Program Director at 254-299-8733.

For More Information...

Please contact Rob Granberry, Program Director, 299-8733, rgranberry@mclennan.edu CSC E200