Review of Sign Language Interpretation Services and Service ...

5.5.2 Interpreter training courses and qualificationsWith the establishment of professional associations of interpreters, there was aneed to identify who could join and what constituted a sign language interpreter.Once professional training courses were established, it became easier to decidethat those who had successfully completed a programme of interpreter trainingcould become recognised as bona fide interpreters. This is the point that most ofthe countries have reached. In New Zealand, for example, the first and onlyformal interpreter training programme was set up in 1992. In Scotland there isone interpreter training programme at Heriot Watt University. This part-timecourse is the equivalent of one year's undergraduate study.In England the first two university courses were established in the late 1980s.There are now five programmes provided by four universities: three are at degreelevel and two at post-graduate or masters level. These programmes currentlyserve England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The degree level courses enable oneto achieve the first level of qualification as an interpreter but it is not until a postgraduatequalification has been achieved that one becomes a fully qualifiedinterpreter. In England, one can also achieve this status through the vocationalroute of the Level 4 National Vocational Qualification in Interpreting (BSL/English).In Finland, there are two institutions that each offer a four-year full-timeundergraduate degree, and also administer the interpreter competency test,which is the gateway to registration. In Denmark, there is a 3.5 year course forsign language interpreters running in two centres. This was previously a 300 hourcourse and then a 2 year course.In New Zealand there is currently only one interpreter training course and that isat the Auckland University of Technology (AUT). The course is 2 year full-time,running from February to November each year. At the end of the programmestudents receive a Diploma in Sign Language Interpreting.Despite improved training opportunities for interpreters, there is some evidencethat there has been, and continues to be, considerable wastage from those alreadytrained and qualified. Research to support this evidence and to identify reasonsfor the wastage (such as burnout and career progression into other posts) hasbeen conducted by the RNID and ASLI in England. One implication of wastage isthat those responsible for planning to increase the number of interpreters shouldtake account of this when estimating requirements.Given the shortage of interpreters in most of the countries studied, a need forfunding for training and support has been recognised. The Scottish Executive hasrecently provided £350,000 for a course to train trainers of BSL and BSL/Englishinterpreting. This has arisen from an acknowledgement that the capacity forteaching BSL and sign linguistics needs to be addressed in parallel with theestablishment of interpreter training. A similar approach has been taken inEngland where the Department for Work and Pensions, between 2004 and 2005,invested £1.5 million in the development of training programmes and resourcesfor BSL teachers and in raising awareness of the needs of BSL users.Achieving an interpreting qualification is an indicator that the interpreter hasachieved a particular standard both in sign language and in sign languagepage 102 • Review of Sign Language Interpretation Services and Service Requirements in Ireland