Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Interpreter’s Path: How to Enter One of Canada’s Most Essential Profession

Posted on by

Interpreting is everywhere. You encounter interpreters in hospitals, courtrooms, community centres, schools, at the insurance office, during financial aid meetings, or in child welfare visits, and even at the negotiating table when organizations or communities need to find common ground across a language divide. And yet, despite its reach and its stakes, the profession remains poorly understood by most people, including many who are drawn to it.

At The Interpreters Lab, we hear the same question regularly: How does someone actually become an interpreter? It is one of the most searched and least clearly answered questions in the field. The pathway is not as linear as medicine or law, and there is no single credentialing body that defines it universally. That ambiguity can be discouraging, but it shouldn’t be. The path exists. It is well-established, and for the right person, it is deeply rewarding.

This is where it starts.

Language Proficiency: The Non-Negotiable Foundation

Every conversation about interpreter training must begin here, because there is no version of this profession that does not require it. Genuine, high-level proficiency in at least two languages is not a preferred qualification, it is a baseline requirement. And it is worth being precise about what proficiency means in this context.

The interpreter is not a translator working quietly at a desk with time to consult a dictionary. The interpreter operates in real time, in live environments, often under significant pressure. They must receive meaning in one language and render it accurately, completely, and fluently in another, in consecutive or simultaneous mode and within moments. That demands more than academic knowledge of a language. It demands the kind of fluency that is intuitive, flexible, and responsive to register, dialect, emotional tone, and context.

If you are bilingual and considering this career, ask yourself honestly: in both of your languages, can you follow rapid, idiomatic speech without effort? Can you express complex ideas with precision? Can you shift register fluidly, from formal to colloquial; from clinical to conversational; without losing accuracy? These are the standards the profession demands. This is what training teaches you.

The Personal Qualities That Drive the Work

Language proficiency is necessary, but it is not all. This is where many aspiring interpreters are surprised.

The weight of that responsibility is real. For the professionals who carry it well, it is also the most compelling reason they chose the field.

The qualities that distinguish a skilled interpreter are not only linguistic. They are fundamentally human. A genuine interest in people, in their circumstances, their communication styles, their cultural frameworks, is not a nice-to-have. It shapes how an interpreter shows up in a room. So does intellectual curiosity, a comfort with uncertainty, and the capacity to remain composed and focused in environments that are often emotionally charged or logistically demanding.

Interpreters in community or public services often work in settings defined as complicated and complex. They encounter people at their most vulnerable, their most adversarial, and their most exposed. The professionals who thrive in this work tend to share a particular disposition: they are drawn to the challenge rather than deterred by it.

Not sure whether you have the profile? Our assessment was designed to help you find out. Take the Do You Have What It Takes Assessment

Foundational Training: Where the Talent Meets Competence

The assumption that bilingualism alone qualifies someone to interpret professionally is one of the most persistent and consequential misconceptions in the field. Foundational training is not supplementary. It is essential. It is where interpreting as a discipline is actually learned.

Structured training – such as The Interpreter’s Lab Interpreting in Community Settings course – introduces the core modes of interpreting:

  • consecutive interpreting, in which the interpreter renders a complete utterance after the speaker pauses
  • simultaneous interpreting, in which the interpreter works in real time, with almost no delay
  • sight translation, in which the interpreter reads from a document in one language and translates it into another – using either spoken or signed.

Each mode requires distinct skills and significant practice to execute well. Training also covers:

  • note-taking methodology
  • memory retention techniques
  • research skills
  • ethics
  • cognitive strategies (necessary to manage the considerable mental load of live interpreting)

Equally important is the professional formation that takes place in a rigorous training environment:

  • understanding the interpreter’s role and its limits
  • developing the discipline of impartiality
  • learning to navigate the ethical dimensions of the work (before encountering them in the field)

But in Canada, these pathways are limited in both availability and relevance. Where they do exist, they are often tied to official languages and follow highly structured academic routes. For many of the languages used in community settings, these pathways are not only unavailable, they often don’t align with the realities of the work.

Canada’s linguistic landscape tells a different story. According to the 2021 Census, the most common mother tongues other than English or French include Mandarin, Punjabi, Cantonese, and Spanish. Beyond these, more than 100,000 people each speak Arabic, Tagalog, Persian/Farsi, Urdu, Russian, and Korean at home.

Punjabi, Mandarin and Arabic Languages in Demand

The demand for community interpreters in languages such as Punjabi, Mandarin, Arabic, Tagalog, Hindi, Urdu, and Farsi is not only substantial, it is actively growing. And importantly, this demand is not uniform across the country. Regional variation matters. In British Columbia, Mandarin and Punjabi are among the most commonly spoken languages; in Ontario, Punjabi and Arabic are prominent; and in Quebec, Arabic is the most common immigrant language.

In other words, the need for interpreting spans a wide and evolving range of languages, shaped by local realities. Yet the training pathways have not kept pace. What exists on paper does not always reflect what is needed in practice.

For most languages outside of signed languages and Canada’s official languages, formal educational pathways are limited. Where they do exist, they are often found in private training models or smaller, practice-based programs rather than within traditional academic institutions.

That said, pathways into foundational training do exist. These may include university programs in conference interpreting or translation studies, community and healthcare interpreter certification programs, and specialized training institutes. The appropriate pathway depends on the individual’s goals, prior education, and the settings in which they intend to work.

This gap between practice and formal pathways was a key impetus behind the development of ISO/TS 6253, an international standard designed to address training in community interpreting where traditional models fall short.

ISO TS 6253:2024

Specialization: Medical Interpreting and Court Interpreting

For many interpreters, foundational training is followed by specialization, and it is here that a critical distinction must be made. Specialization in interpreting is widely understood to mean subject-matter knowledge. Medical interpreters know medical terminology. Legal interpreters know legal terminology. This is accurate, but it is a significant understatement of what specialization actually requires.

To work credibly in a medical setting, an interpreter must understand more than vocabulary. They must understand the structure and hierarchy of a clinical environment, the dynamics of a patient-provider relationship, the ethical and legal framework governing patient confidentiality, working with multidisciplinary teams, and the weight of conversations about diagnosis, prognosis, and consent. They must know how to interpret these conversations not only accurately but appropriately, with an understanding of what is at stake for every person in the room.

The same depth applies in legal, mental health, educational, and other specialized contexts. In each setting, the interpreter is not simply a language conduit. They are a professional whose presence carries institutional weight. That credibility is not automatic. It is built through preparation, experience, and a sustained commitment to understanding the environments in which the work takes place.

The Professional Responsibility That Defines the Role

Interpreting is, at its core, a profession of consequence. A commitment to professionalism, including strict adherence to and understanding of completeness, fidelity to the message and accuracy can determine whether a patient receives the correct treatment, whether a defendant understands the charges they face, or whether a negotiation succeeds or fails. This is not the work of a background function. It is the work of a trained, accountable professional operating at the intersection of language, culture, and daily demands.

The weight of that responsibility is real. For the professionals who carry it well, it is also the most compelling reason they chose the field.

If you are considering this path, as a first career, a second, or a natural evolution of your language skills, the question is not whether the profession is demanding. It is whether the demand is something you are prepared to meet.

Begin by finding out where you stand. The Interpreters Lab  Take the Do You Have What It Takes? Assessment

 

Sources for statistical information courtesy of Statistics Canada:

https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/98-314-x/98-314-x2011003_2-eng.cfm

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/departmental-plans/departmental-plan-2024-2025/departmental-plan-2024-2025-full.html

 

Language is the door, not the destination.

Posted on by

Those of us who work in interpreting, whether we call it a field, a profession, or an industry, arrive here via many different pathways.

In my observation, there are two common paths. Some come through language itself. They begin as translators, interpreters, linguists—people drawn to words, to structure, and to meaning, often working within or alongside language service providers and others in the language industry. Others, like me, come through equity, access, and inclusion: through community engagement, through policy work, and through building systems that respond more fairly and more intelligently to diverse communities.

Language was my starting point, but it was also my turning point.

For many years, my work focused on systemic change, strengthening policies, improving community engagement practices, and supporting institutions to better include those who were often left at the margins. I was concerned with participation: who is at the table, who is not, and why. I spent years examining how institutions respond to communities, how policies unintentionally exclude, and how good intentions often fail in practice.

Again and again, language surfaced as a primary barrier, one that could be addressed, and often was. Sometimes this was done in thoughtful, comprehensive ways; other times through ad-hoc, temporary solutions. Regardless of the approach, language services were often where the conversation stopped. The deed done. The issue considered addressed.

To me, language is a critical tipping point: language is the threshold. It is the first step into the room. It creates the possibility of connection, but it does not guarantee it.

What happens beyond that threshold is where the real work begins. Inclusion is not achieved simply because two people technically understand each other’s words.

That is why the conversation cannot focus only on those accessing a service. It must also include those providing it, those designing the systems, and those responsible for engagement, risk management, client safety, compliance with legislation and policy, and organizational effectiveness. They are as much part of the equation as individuals who do not communicate in the dominant language. Communication is relational. It affects everyone in the room.

Years ago, volunteering on a UNICEF project in Ecuador, I began to see how fragile communication can be when it depends on whoever happens to speak both languages in the moment. When I was back in Canada and working in healthcare environments, I witnessed situations that unsettled me. Bilingual individuals were asked to step into complex, emotionally charged encounters without preparation, without a framework, and without clarity about their role. The assumption was straightforward: if you speak the language, you can interpret.

Interpreting is structured meaning-making within human systems. It is a critical element in a multilingual, multicultural community.

Filling a Much Felt Gap: Interpreter Training

The Interpreter’s Lab did not emerge from a business plan. It emerged from recognizing a gap between what systems required and how we were preparing people to meet those demands. I was not interested in producing more bilingual helpers. I was interested in strengthening professional practice, building education that respected the complexity of the work and helping institutions understand that language access is not an optional courtesy. It is part of operational integrity.

Over time, I have come to see interpreting as one of the most underestimated professions within public service systems. Interpreters stand at critical intersections, in courtrooms, clinics, classrooms, and social service offices, supporting conversations that shape decisions about health, legal status, education, and family life. And yet the profession is still too often framed as an extension of bilingualism rather than as a discipline in its own right.

Perhaps that is because many of us arrived here indirectly, some through language itself, others through equity and access work, and many through lived experience.

Wherever we entered, many of us arrived at the same realization: communication across languages is neither simple nor neutral. It is shaped by power, context, and training, or by the absence of training.

Language opens the door. What we build beyond that door, the standards, the competencies, the expectations, the accountability, determines whether inclusion is genuine or superficial.

The work we do at The Interpreter’s Lab and through our many initiatives continues to sit at that threshold, not only preparing interpreters through programs and curricula that advance the profession. but also asking how systems understand and support the work. Because if we value our own professional integrity, whether as clinicians, lawyers, educators, or policymakers, we must also value the integrity of the communication that underpins it.

Language gives us the opportunity to learn from and about one another.

What we choose to do with that opportunity is the real measure of systemic change.

Interpreter Training Is Not Content Delivery

Posted on by

Workshops, Techniques and the Hard Truth About Interpreter Training

There are tips and techniques.

There are workshops, webinars, and quick fixes.

And then there is training.

These things are not the same. Treating them as interchangeable has quietly undermined the interpreting profession for years.

Workshops have value. They raise awareness, introduce ideas, and support interpreters who already have a foundation. But they do not replace training.

Training is structured, cumulative, and grounded in standards. It is what moves someone from being bilingual to being appropriately qualified. That distinction matters, whether people realize it or not, especially in situations where the consequences are real and the impacts are lasting.

The Work Behind the Words

One of the most persistent myths in our field is that interpreting is simply “helping out” with language; that if you speak two languages and care enough, a few workshops will prepare you.

This belief is usually rooted in goodwill. Communities want access. Organizations are under pressure. People step in because someone must. But good intentions do not equal professional competence.

When interpreting is reduced to the act of speaking two languages, the work is treated as a simple transaction: words in, words out. But that framing oversimplifies the complex process of communicating across languages, cultures, and people. Interpreting involves constant decision-making within complex human and institutional contexts.

Interpreting requires far more than bilingual ability; it includes, among other important things, ethical judgment, role clarity, session management, discourse and register control, memory, and research skills.

Those competencies don’t emerge accidentally. They are developed deliberately and progressively.

“Interpreting is not a transaction. It is a professional, decision-based practice.”

Learning About Interpreting vs. Learning to Be an Interpreter

This is where confusion often arises.

Workshops tend to focus on content:

  • What interpreters do
  • Common mistakes
  • Ethical scenarios
  • Practical tips

Training focuses on formation:

  • Exploring communication
  • Meaning and language
  • Professional identity
  • Scope of practice
  • Decision-making and critical thinking
  • Developing professional competencies and skills
  • Accountability to standards
  • Consistency across settings
  • Ethical awareness and dilemma resolution

A webinar can raise awareness. A workshop can spark insight. But neither prepares someone to interpret in public service settings such as social services, healthcare, law enforcement, or mental-health contexts, where the consequences are real.

“Training is not about shortcuts. It is about readiness.”

Where Asynchronous Learning Fits–and Where It Doesn’t

Asynchronous learning, self-paced learning that occurs without live, real-time interaction between instructors and learners, has a role in interpreter education. It can support foundational knowledge, introduce concepts, and allow learners to engage with theory, terminology, and ethical frameworks at their own pace.

What it cannot do, on its own, is develop skilled interpreting competence. Asynchronous learning can support training, but it cannot replace it.

Interpreting is a performative, decision-based practice. It requires real-time interaction, guided feedback, correction, and exposure to unpredictability. These elements cannot be meaningfully replicated through fully self-directed, asynchronous formats. Without structured interaction and feedback, learners may absorb information without developing judgment.

When asynchronous learning is positioned as a complete substitute for interpreter training, it creates the illusion of readiness without the conditions needed to develop it.

And while the growth of asynchronous and on-demand learning has made education more accessible, that accessibility is not the same as adequacy. When it comes to acquiring tangible interpreting competencies, asynchronous learning alone is not innovation. It is omission.

Why Standards Matter, Especially When No One Is Enforcing Them

In many jurisdictions, including Canada, interpreter training is uneven or unregulated. That vacuum allows almost anything to be labelled “training.”

This is precisely why standards matter. International frameworks such as ISO 13611:2024 Interpreting services — Community interpreting — Requirements and recommendations and ISO/TS 6253:2024 Requirements and recommendations for training programmes in community interpreting articulate what professional practice and interpreter education require: defined learning outcomes, qualified educators, structured programmes, assessment, and progression.

Even when training programs are short in duration, they are designed to build competence, not simply share tips and tricks. 

At The Interpreter’s Lab (TIL), our courses are built around these principles, not to be prescriptive, but to be responsible. Without standards, training becomes performative rather than transformative.

Real-World Training for a Real-World Landscape

Our courses may not be the longest, and that is intentional.

Our programmes are largely self-funded by participants, so accessibility matters. We design our courses to be focused and rigorous, without unnecessary length or cost. At the same time, we are responding to urgent workforce needs and systems that too often rely on “good enough” language support. Shorter does not mean lighter.

At a time when interpreter training programmes have been closing across Canada, we have remained relevant by staying current. Our programmes are intentionally designed to sit at the intersection of academia and industry; grounded in professional practice and informed by the real-world realities interpreters are navigating now, not an abstract or idealized version of the profession.

“Accessibility in education is important, but accessibility is not the same as adequacy.”

This includes engaging with current modes of practice, evolving technologies, and the practical skills interpreters need to sustain their work, such as finding assignments, negotiating contracts and fees, and adapting to new forms of service delivery.

Rather than treating these realities as peripheral, we embed them into training as part of professional formation, alongside ethical judgment, international standards, and reflective practice.

Our programmes are taught by experienced practitioners and educators who have spent years working in, advocating for, and shaping this field; they are designed to lay a strong professional foundation.

Training does not need to be endless to be rigorous. It needs to be coherent, intentional, and accountable; it must provide a solid foundation for ongoing professional development, guided by those who understand both the field and the work.

From “Bilingual Helper” to Professional Practitioner

Many bilingual individuals have been interpreting for years before encountering formal training. When they do, the realization can be uncomfortable: there is much more to this profession than they were ever told.

That moment is not failure. It is professional awakening. As the saying goes, you don’t know what you don’t know.

Proper training reframes the role. It moves interpreters away from instinct-driven decisions and blurred boundaries, and toward ethical clarity, professional confidence, and consistency.

Training Is a Beginning, Not a Badge

Completing a solid training programme does not make someone “finished.” It provides a foundation, one that supports specialization, mentorship, and continuing professional development.

That is how professions function.

Tips have their place. Workshops have value.

But training, real training, is what turns intention into competence.

And once that distinction is clear, it’s impossible to ignore.

References and Resources

ISO STANDARDS ISO 37/SC 5

ISO 13611:2024

ISO/TS 6253:2024

Claudio Fantinuoli:

  1. Panel: The Future of Interpreter Training: Challenges, AI, and the Path Forward https://www.claudiofantinuoli.org/2025/02/28/the-future-of-interpreter-training-challenges-ai-and-the-path-forward/
  2. What future for translation and interpreting training institutions? https://www.claudiofantinuoli.org/2025/01/25/what-future-for-translation-and-interpreting-training-institutions/

 

Deep Impacts: 2025 Highlights at The Interpreter’s Lab

Posted on by

2025 was a year of deepening impact, strengthening training, advancing standards, and building stronger bridges between interpreters, institutions, and communities.

At TIL, we continue to advocate at all levels for the important contributions of interpreters and for recognition of interpreting as a specialized profession. The work that we do and the initiatives supported interpreters across spoken and signed languages nationwide. In 2025 over 150 new and practicing interpreters engaged in our training and continuing education programs. Building on current research and established best practices endorsed by international experts, TIL regularly strengthens its core curriculum and foundational ethical guidelines for interpreters.

Check out this Blog for More Information on How TIL Sets the Pace

Programs continued to align with Canadian and international standards while remaining grounded in real-world practice.

Learning & Professional Development (Membership Program)

Professional Development and Continuing Education

Interpreting in Law Enforcement – Working with the Police – Masterclass with Dr. Debra Russell (offered again in 2026)

  • 2 sessions for ASL interpreters
  • 1 session for spoken-language interpreters

Four cohorts of Interpreting in Community Settings – A Foundational Program

Interpreting in Legal & Court Settings

  • 1 cohort for spoken-language interpreters
  • 1 cohort for ASL–English interpreters, adapted from our long-standing spoken-language curriculum to meet the specific requirements of ASL–English interpreting.

Program & Curriculum Development

  • Implemented ISO/TS 6253:2024 across programs, supported by a successful full internal audit.

Updated course content across programs, including:

  • Revised Ethical Guidelines for Interpreters in Community Settings
  • Updated competency frameworks and assessment measures
  • Engaged a new instructor with expertise in training for interpreting in Indigenous languages 

Partnerships & Customized Training

  • Designed and delivered a customized training program for the Family Support Institute of BC (Resource Parent / Peer Programs)
  • Welcomed new partner agencies into our organizational training programs
  • Strengthened collaboration with professional membership organizations in Canada and internationally

Sector Leadership & Standards

Continued service as:

  • Board Member and Chair, Interpreting Committee – Canadian Language Industry Association (CLIA)
  • Certified Member, Women Business Enterprises (WBE)
  • Presentation to Canadian Translators, Terminologist and Interpreters Council Board at their annual AGM on ISO TC 37/SC 5 projects and standards
  • Ongoing leadership in the rollout and implementation of international standards in interpreter education
  • Initiated the BC Working Group on Interpreting Services, in collaboration with the Provincial Language Service (PHSA BC), a cross-sectoral initiative exploring system-level improvements to access and information on qualified language services.

Presentations & Advocacy

  • Speech-Hearing BC: Enhancing Speech-Language Pathology Practices: Strategies for Effective Collaboration with Interpreters
  • Health Standards Organization (HSO): Language Access as the Tipping Point for Equity and Inclusion
  • PSIT Networking Group – UK – London Metropolitan University (June 13); The Canadian Experience in Public Service Interpreting
  • Met with Minister Niki Sharma, BC Attorney General, to discuss language access, interpreting, procurement practices, and ISO standards.

Media & Knowledge Sharing

Excellence as Standard Practice

2025 was an exceptional year for The Interpreter’s Lab, marked by meaningful growth, collaboration, and impact. As always, we continue to evolve our programs, strengthen standards-aligned training, and respond to emerging needs in the field.

This progress is only possible through the trust and engagement of our members, partners, and collaborators. We look forward to building on this momentum together in 2026.

responsive by design

Interpreter Training That Keeps Pace

Posted on by

At The Interpreter’s Lab – Centre for Interpreter Education and Training (TIL), our programs are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect evolving professional standards, practitioner experience, and the realities of public-service interpreting. Continuous improvement is not an add-on, it is part of how we design, deliver, and assess training.

What’s NEW for 2026

  • Updated ethical guidelines, standards of practice, and competency frameworks, aligned with current international standards
  • Improved navigation to help participants move more easily through course content
  • Enhanced learning resources to support applied practice
  • Course content updated to ensure alignment with current standards, clearer competency expectations, and consistent assessment of learning outcomes.

Professional Standards

Professional standards are not static. ISO standards, for example, are developed by international experts and are periodically reviewed and revised to remain relevant as professional contexts, technologies, and expectations evolve. As a long-standing member of ISO TC 37/SC 5 (since 2010) and the Project Leader for ISO/TS 6253:2024 – Requirements and Recommendations for Training Programmes in Community Interpreting, TIL’s Founder and Director, Angela Sasso, is very familiar with the components required to prepare bilingual individuals to work competently as interpreters in public-service settings.

This expertise, combined with the exceptional experience of our instructional team, all practicing interpreters, translators and educators, underpins TIL’s approach. Ethical decision-making, standards of practice, and clearly defined competencies form the foundation of our course design, and recent updates to international guidance are reflected throughout our curriculum.

Our programs follow the newest international standard, ISO TS 6253:2024, which sets the requirements and recommendations for interpreter training in community settings. We are also active across Canada in training interpreters, working with organizations, and supporting educators.

Because there is no outside accreditation body for this standard, we created our own careful review process. This process is based on our long history with standards work since 2010 and more than 30 years of experience in the interpreting field.

Assessment and Certification

All TIL courses conclude with a final exam to assess learning outcomes. Assessment is an essential part of ensuring that participants have not only attended but have met the learning objectives. To be awarded a Certificate of Successful Completion, participants must:

  • Achieve a minimum 75% passing grade on the final exam
  • Attend live, instructor-led sessions
  • Complete all online modules and assignments

Participants who complete the live sessions but do not meet all assessment requirements may instead receive a Confirmation of Attendance, verifying their participation.

Investing in credible, standards-based training is not about adding barriers; it is about building a more reliable, sustainable interpreting workforce that organizations and consumers can confidently rely on.

Balancing Access and Professional Expectations

At TIL, we work deliberately to balance accessible learning with professional rigour. This balance is not always simple, but it is essential if training is to be both inclusive and credible for the organizations and communities interpreters serve.

Our programs are designed to be accessible at the outset, with flexibility to expand into more in-depth, customized learning over time when organizational or workforce needs call for it.

Looking Ahead to 2026 and Beyond

In 2025, we also delivered advanced training in legal and court settings for ASL–English interpreters in British Columbia. Building on that work, this program will be offered nationally in 2026, further strengthening specialized training pathways across Canada.

What This Means for Agencies and Organizations

For agencies and organizations responsible for procuring, managing, and assuring the quality of interpreting services, training is not simply a credential, it is a risk-management and workforce-development tool.

Standards-aligned training helps ensure that interpreters understand and apply ethical decision-making, professional boundaries, role clarity, and sector-specific protocols consistently across assignments. This reduces variability in service delivery, supports compliance with institutional policies, and strengthens confidence among service users, staff, and funders.

TIL’s approach supports quality assurance by:

  • Delivering training through a live, instructor-led and blended format, and never fully asynchronous learning4 quadrants of excellence
  • Embedding clearly defined competencies and ethical frameworks into all training
  • Assessing learning outcomes through formal evaluation, not attendance alone
  • Providing transparent distinctions between completion, assessment, and participation

From a procurement and contracting perspective, standardized training benchmarks make it easier to articulate expectations, compare qualifications, and demonstrate due diligence when responding to audits, complaints, or funding requirements.

From a workforce-development standpoint, structured training pathways support interpreter retention, professional growth, and readiness for increasingly complex public-service environments. Agencies benefit from interpreters who are better prepared, more consistent in practice, and clearer about professional limits, reducing downstream issues and supervisory burden.

In short, investing in credible, standards-based training is not about adding barriers; it is about building a more reliable, sustainable interpreting workforce that organizations and consumers can confidently rely on.

  • If you are interested in receiving a copy of our updated Code of Conduct or Competencies Framework, please contact us at admin@interpreterslab.org

Advancing the Field: A Milestone in Court and Legal Interpreting for ASL-English Interpreters

Posted on by

We’re proud and delighted to share that The Interpreter’s Lab – Centre for Interpreter Education and Training has just completed the first-ever Interpreting in Legal and Court Settings: ASL–English Advanced Program, led by the exceptional Dr. Debra Russell. With over 20 ASL-English interpreters participating, this inaugural cohort marks a groundbreaking moment for interpreter education in BC and across Canada.

Advanced Training for ASL-English Interpreters in Court Settings

This program is more than another course, it represents the first coordinated, advanced training for interpreters in legal and court settings, built specifically for ASL-English interpreters and grounded in Canadian practice, standards, and legal frameworks. And it reflects something essential about how we work at The Interpreter’s Lab: when interpreters and our partners identify a gap, we respond, quickly, collaboratively, and with purpose.

After listening to ASL-English interpreters across BC describe the persistent gap in legal-interpreting training, we adapted our well-established spoken-language legal interpreter training framework and rebuilt it specifically for ASL-English interpreters. This required re-sequencing modules, reworking assignment design, and ensuring that the competencies, protocols, and ethical considerations unique to ASL–English court work were meaningfully integrated. And we did so in a relatively short time, ensuring that interpreters could access the training they needed without waiting years for a program to be developed.

Coordinated, advanced training for interpreters in legal and court settings, built specifically for ASL interpreters and grounded in Canadian practice, standards, and legal frameworks.

Under Dr. Russell’s leadership, participants engaged in rigorous, research-informed learning: case analyses, applied skill-development, explorations of courtroom dynamics, and considerations and protocols for team/co-interpreting practices. The energy, thoughtfulness, and commitment from this cohort made it clear just how needed, and overdue, this type of training truly is.

Best Practices, International Standards (ISO) and the Canadian Justice System

This program was also deliberately grounded in international standards and evidence-based research on interpreter education. Drawing on the ISO framework for interpreter training, particularly the standards developed under ISO TC 37/SC 5 and decades of scholarship on legal interpreting, assessment, and professional competencies, we ensured the curriculum aligned with recognized best practices.

Everything from sequencing to assignment design, to skill development was informed by research and premised on the Canadian Law and Justice system. This alignment with standards and evidence-based pedagogy is central to how we design our programs and reinforces our commitment to delivering training that reflects the realities and responsibilities of legal interpreting today.

“At The Interpreter’s Lab, our mission is to deliver accessible, responsive, and standards-based training”

We extend our sincere gratitude to all participants, and to Dr. Russell for her leadership, expertise, and generosity in shaping this pioneering program.

More Training Opportunities to Come in 2026

This inaugural cohort centred ASL–English interpreters; however, we acknowledge the important contributions of Deaf interpreters in legal settings and plan to explore future training options that support and reflect their role in this work. The timeline for this first delivery made it necessary to proceed with the established structure; however, The Interpreter’s Lab is fully prepared to adapt the program for a second offering that reflects the needs of all sign language interpreters.

“The information and the opportunity to have Dr Russell guide our learning was incredible, and I do feel as though it was a great professional development opportunity.”

As we continue investing in sector-specific ASL-English interpreter education, this first-of-its-kind program sets a new benchmark, and it’s only the beginning. More advanced training opportunities for signed-language interpreters are coming in 2026.

 

AI and Interpreting: What You Need to Know

Posted on by

This year at The Interpreter’s Lab, we’ve been digging deeper into AI, just as many others in the interpreting field have.

Interpreting in community and public service settings, whether in education, healthcare, or law enforcement, is uniquely complex. It’s not only about managing dynamic, interpersonal communication but also about working across many languages and navigating truly localized knowledge. Accuracy matters profoundly when people’s health, safety, or liberty are on the line. That means community interpreters must approach AI with caution.

Still, when used wisely, these tools can serve a valuable purpose.

“AI is not here to replace interpreters – and won’t be for the foreseeable future.”

From note-taking apps to terminology management, there are countless AI tools that can support interpreters before and after assignments. But when it comes to community interpreting, things get more complicated. Unlike conference interpreters who may work with teams, booths, and on-site technology support, community interpreters often work alone. They are expected to respond in the moment with critical decision-making skills rooted in professional confidence and ethical understanding. Confidentiality and client privacy are central, meaning that pulling out a phone or laptop mid-session to run an AI tool usually isn’t an option.

This doesn’t mean AI is off the table. As we learned recently at the August session of The Interpreter’s Lab Speakers Series Professional Development with Evelyn Cervantes, there are creative and ethical ways to bring AI into your professional toolkit.

Practical Ways Interpreters Working in Community and Public Sector Services Can Use AI

  1. Pre-Session Preparation
    AI tools can help interpreters research terminology, generate practice scenarios, or organize glossaries before an assignment. Some tools even allow you to upload documents or background material (with privacy considerations in mind) to get a clear sense of key concepts.
  2. Post-Session Reflection
    After assignments, AI can support with debriefing and self-study. Summarization tools, for instance, can help you review notes and identify areas where additional terminology practice is needed. As any good interpreter knows, a reflective practice is a professional practice.
  3. Practice Management
    No matter how powerful the tool, the responsibility for managing and organizing your practice remains yours. AI can generate resources, but it won’t tell you how to structure your files, prioritize your workload, or balance your commitments. That’s where your professional judgment comes in.

What to Watch Out For:
AI isn’t perfect, and interpreters need to approach it critically:

  • Accuracy and Reliability: Just because AI provides a reference doesn’t mean it’s correct, or even real. Always verify.
  • Privacy Concerns: Free versions of tools may not protect your data. Be cautious about uploading sensitive materials, especially anything linked to client information.
  • Free vs. Paid Subscriptions: Paid tools often provide better security, features, and accuracy. But even then, due diligence is essential.

Why This Matters
AI is not here to replace interpreters – and won’t be for the foreseeable future.  Instead, it can complement our skills and make us more efficient, better prepared, and more reflective practitioners, if used wisely. In community interpreting, where confidentiality, ethics, and quick thinking are paramount, the key is knowing when and how to integrate these tools without compromising professional standards.

As AI continues to evolve, so too will the conversations about how interpreters can, and should, engage with it. At The Interpreter’s Lab, we believe that staying informed and critically reflective is part of what makes a strong professional community. That’s why our monthly Pro-D sessions don’t just introduce tools, but also create space to explore the ethical, practical, and real-world implications for community interpreters – technology is only as useful as the ethical framework we bring to it.

AI isn’t a replacement for professional skill, judgment, or standards, but it can be a supportive ally when approached wisely. We invite you to join us as we continue to explore these questions together.

Not yet a member of The Interpreter’s Lab?

Join today to access our monthly Pro-D sessions, practical tools, and supportive community of interpreters. Learn more here

 

Raising the Standard: Language Access and the Role of Trained Healthcare Interpreters

Posted on by

Language access is a cornerstone of equity in healthcare: without it, care is not equally accessible, effective, or safe. For people who do not speak the same language as the service provider, or are Deaf or hard of hearing, access to trained interpreters is not just helpful — it’s essential for receiving safe, respectful, and effective care.

Interpreters working in signed or spoken languages, such as Mandarin, Arabic, Farsi, Punjabi, or any of the other 200+ languages spoken in Canada, play a vital role when it comes to public services in Canada – like healthcare. They help ensure that patients understand critical information, can provide informed consent, and are heard. Their work supports not only individual patients, but the quality and fairness of the healthcare system as a whole, and the professional integrity of the healthcare team. Extending beyond that, the work of interpreters contributes to more cohesive communities by bridging linguistic and cultural divides, fostering trust, and ensuring that all voices are heard in our every day lives.

When Every Word Matters: Interpreting in Canadian Medical Encounters

Healthcare interpreting also presents unique challenges. Like many specialized settings, it requires knowledge of specific terminology—not just medical terms, but also jargon unique to healthcare and distinctive of the Canadian system and context. While the biomedical model may be broadly consistent across countries—even those sharing the same language—the real distinctions lie in the broader context: how healthcare is organized, accessed, and delivered, as well as the cultural expectations and systemic nuances that shape patient-provider interactions. These differences have a significant impact on how we train interpreters at The Interpreter’s Lab. Effective interpreting depends not only on language fluency and interpreting competences, but on an understanding of these systems, roles, and protocols that influence every healthcare encounter.

Healthcare settings are emotionally complex and constantly shifting, often placing interpreters in the middle of deeply personal and difficult conversations. From end-of-life discussions to emotionally charged decisions, interpreters must stay poised, impartial, and accurate while navigating evolving emotions and sensitive interpersonal dynamics.

Interpreters working in medical settings must understand clinical systems, stay grounded in their professional role, and remain composed in difficult moments—all while making space for individuals to speak and be heard. This is why setting-specific training is essential. Without it, navigating the complexity of medical encounters has the potential to overwhelm interpreters and ultimately affect everyone involved.

“A patient without a professional interpreter is less likely to understand their diagnosis, less likely to be able to give fully informed consent for treatment, and ultimately less likely to adhere to their treatment protocol.” (National Standards for Healthcare Equity, p. 10)

Interpreting in Healthcare & Medical Settings is a specialized training program that helps interpreters build the knowledge and skills required to meet these challenges.

The Interpreting in Healthcare and Medical Settings covers:
• Canadian healthcare systems
• Medical and related terminology
• Ethics and role maintenance
• Cultural safety and the role of culture in healthcare
• Interpreting protocols and navigating complexities
• Techniques to manage assignment preparation, focus, memory, and accuracy

Specialized Interpreter Training Supports Quality Care and Equity in Service Provision

Training at The Interpreter’s Lab strengthens interpreters’ ability to work effectively with clinicians across disciplines and support patients from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. By exploring how culture shapes health beliefs and communication, interpreters are better equipped to support meaningful interactions and contribute to more equitable care.

Our programs provide the tools, frameworks, and reflective practices needed to navigate ethical tensions in real time—helping interpreters stay grounded, make informed decisions, and uphold the integrity of their role, even under pressure.

The Human Element – Mission Critical
The human element in healthcare and medical interpreting cannot be understated: People are essential to the success of this work. While AI is often promoted as a solution to language barriers, the perception that it works well is often stronger than its actual effectiveness. In healthcare, where communication is dynamic, emotional, and deeply rooted in interpersonal and intercultural realities, AI is rarely a reliable or ethical substitute. It cannot interpret tone, context, or nuance, and it cannot support clarity or cultural safety. Human interpreters remain essential to ensuring language access that is accurate, appropriate, and equitable.

“People are essential to the success of this work.”

Interpreting in healthcare is more than just language work. It’s a critical part of ensuring language rights and language access and reducing barriers to care. Specialized training helps interpreters bring clarity, dignity, and equity into every conversation.

Resources and Additional Readings

  1. “When I’m sick, I’m not bilingual” – Language Support is Health Equity (2025). Access HERE
  2. Investing in Language Access to Optimize Health System Performance (Research Snapshot). Found HERE 
  3. Access to Health Care – addressing the Language Barriers (2009). Found HERE
  4. Medical Interpreting Services for Refugees in Canada – Current State of Practice and Considerations in Promoting this Essential Human Right for All (2024). Found HERE
  5. National Standards for Healthcare Equity: The Case for Provincial Interpretation Services. National Newcomer Navigation Network (2022). Found at Newcomer Access to Professional Interpretation Services in Healthcare

Progress or Perish: In a World of Constant Change, Shouldn’t Education Keep Up?

Posted on by

Dr. Claudio Fantinuoli recently argued in an article for the Chartered Institute of Linguists that translation and interpreting education must evolve or risk becoming irrelevant—a point I’ve been making for years. While his focus is likely on conference interpreting curricula and simultaneous mode training, the same—or even greater—urgency applies to community and public-service interpreting, whether simultaneous, consecutive, remote, or in-person.

“It should be quite clear that if we continue along the current trajectory of absence of relevant change, we risk drifting into irrelevance—and this could happen sooner than expected.”

Interpreter Training Must Keep Pace

Public service and community interpreter training in Canada can be traced back to the 1970s, when one of the country’s most robust programs launched in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although other programs followed over the years, most ceased updating their content by the early 2010s. Since then, the profession’s demands, core competencies, ethical guidelines, and standards of practice have shifted dramatically. It’s understandable that many institution-based programs lack the flexibility to adapt—perhaps explaining their decline or demise—but remaining anchored in outdated theories and practices renders their course content irrelevant, and that’s before even considering the profound impact of AI and other emerging technologies.

When curricula ignore modern tools, platforms, and workflows, interpreters miss the chance to learn how to use these innovations effectively—and are left unable to discuss them knowledgeably with clients, further widening the gap between practice and consumer needs.
Of course, a firm grounding in the profession’s foundations—its ethics, principles, and theoretical frameworks—is essential. But training must also meet the expectations of the 21st-century marketplace, equipping students to handle contemporary challenges from day one.

Interpreter Education Through a Real-World Lens

That forward-looking perspective motivated me to spearhead ISO TS 6253:2024, Requirements and recommendations for training programmes in community interpreting. This first ISO publication to address interpreter training in specialized settings marks a significant milestone in the evolution of public-service language services—one I was proud to champion and privileged to lead as project head of the international working group. And because progress is essential to sustain relevance in both education and standards, we’re already revisiting the specification to make it even more accessible and aligned with today’s needs.

Progress Means Letting Go

We need to let go of outdated paradigms and frameworks so that the essential role of interpreting—and interpreters themselves—is genuinely understood and valued. Interpreter education must be dynamic, responsive, and grounded in best ethical practices. Anything less does a disservice to our students and to the broader field of community interpreting. Training programs must be agile and innovative, actively engaging with the marketplace. Change may be difficult, but irrelevance is far worse.

“Let’s not ever forget that amid these challenges lie opportunities. Beyond boldly reforming existing structures – which is admittedly difficult –there is also the possibility of creating something entirely new. Perhaps a new type of institution is needed – one that anticipates future changes rather than merely reacts to them.”

End Note:
I would like to thank Dr. Fantuoli’s for his contributions to our understanding, and I encourage you to read his particular article (linked below) as many very good and insightful points are made.
All quoted content – Claudio Fantinuoli PhD in CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists)
https://www.ciol.org.uk/future-translation-interpreting-training?utm_source=pocket_shared

The Magnificent in the Ordinary

Posted on by

One morning, while out walking my pug – who, at fifteen, strolls through life on her own schedule – I came upon a beautiful arrangement of fallen flowers that someone had formed into a perfect heart on the ground. Instead of brushing them aside as dead waste, this lovely soul allowed them to create something new and beautiful, giving me a reminder of possibility and joy.

I believe this same idea applies to the everyday challenges and transitions we all face. When we shift our perspective, we uncover opportunities in unexpected places – transforming endings into new beginnings without losing sight of who we are.

I am probably not alone in feeling a little stretched thin these last few years. I know many of us have gone through, or are going through, challenges in our lives, in many different areas. Lately I’ve taken a step back from the constant push through, to examine and reflect. I took the time to learn new ways of understanding the world, explored other philosophies, read a few interesting books, and listened to podcasts not in my usual rotation. Doing so shifted my perception and allowed me to acknowledge that sometimes when things are not going as planned, then maybe the plan needs to change. And that includes changing oneself. Coming across the pattern of flower petals – deliberately created to highlight the magnificence in the ordinary – was just the thing to demonstrate how one can see things from different points of view.

This shift extended to the work I do. Working in language access and public‑sector interpreting can be both challenging and exciting: new trends and technologies can simultaneously feel like a push and a pull. At its core, interpreting is a human-centred activity, one that I came to while involved in the work of social justice and access. Sometimes it can feel like we’ve moved away from those central tenets of connection, inclusion, and cohesive communities. But the essentiality of language diversity, language access and language equity is vibrantly seen in everyday interpreting – in the services that affect us all – interpreters and non-interpreters alike. Our connection is one long chain, where each link matters. It’s this significance and meaning that allows our work to be enduring, even as we are reforming and recreating ourselves – like the heart of petals.

Finding creativity in constraint, gratitude in the everyday, and kindness in every conversation reminds us to focus on what is essential, embrace what allows us to grow, and renew ourselves in our work.