Sorenson Communications Training Series Helps Prepare Interpreters to Become RID Cert

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Sorenson Communications Training Series Helps Prepare Interpreters to Become RID Certified

Sorenson Communications™, the leading provider of Video Relay Services (VRS) for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who use American Sign Language (ASL), today announced the establishment of an intensive Interpreter Training Series for those seeking to improve their skills in order to achieve national Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) certification. The training will be offered in a number of cities nationwide and in Puerto Rico.

The first series, offered in Boise, Idaho, which began in June 2007, provided workshops on topics ranging from cognitive process to ethics and finger spelling for working interpreters. Interpreters from across the state of Idaho attended. “The Interpreter Training Series workshops have been relevant and substantive. Ultimately, they have prepared our interpreters to become nationally certified in a shorter amount of time,” said Wes Maynard, Sorenson VRS Boise Center Manager/Trainer. “The beneficiaries of the investment Sorenson has made in our interpreters through the Interpreter Training Series are the VRS users that we serve and the entire deaf community.”

Workshops, six hours in length, are taught over a six-month period. The instructors are all employed within the Professional Development Department at Sorenson Communications with many holding advanced degrees. All hold certification granted through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) with the team being comprised of both deaf and hearing individuals.

“Each interpreter trainer brings with them not only a passion for life-long learning, but the skill and expertise necessary to maximize the learning experience for workshop participants,” said Amy Kalmus, director of professional development for Sorenson Communications. “This is the first of many initiatives Sorenson Communications is taking to address the interpreter shortage.”

In addition to the Boise series, interpreting trainers have been providing workshops to interpreting communities in El Paso, TX, Virginia Beach, VA, and in Puerto Rico. Additional locations will be selected in 2008.

“The Interpreting Training Series marks a serious commitment on Sorenson Communications' part to produce the next generation of qualified VRS and community interpreters,” said Gino Gouby, CDI (Certified Deaf Interpreter), national professional development manager for Sorenson Communications. “The company is committed to ensuring that the growing demand for interpreting services within the deaf community is well served by skilled professionals.”

Most of the workshops are open to the deaf and interpreting communities.
 
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