Interpreter Transfer

Program Statement

The Deaf Studies – Interpreter Transfer program prepares students who aspire to become professional American Sign Language/English Interpreters in educational or community settings. Our curriculum lays the foundation needed to successfully transfer into a 4-year Interpreter Training Program (ITP).  Fundamental to our program are both competency in American Sign Language (ASL) and a desire to work within the Deaf community as allies. All Deaf Studies programs share the same ASL and Deaf Studies core courses that explore the language, culture, history and contemporary issues of Deaf people. 

Program Information

The program can be completed in 2 years if students successfully complete 5 courses a semester (15 credits). Less than five courses per semester will add additional time to complete the program and graduate. Students can also opt to take summer courses to lessen the fall/spring workload.

This program is designed for students to transfer to a four-year institution that offers interpreter training. Graduates cannot become interpreters at the conclusion of this program. This is the first step in the journey. To learn more about the field of interpreting, visit discoverinterpreting.com and rid.com.

Program courses are a combination of general education courses all students must take, Deaf Studies and ASL courses, and courses that pertain to the field of interpreting. 

Students who have taken non-credit “sign language classes” in the past, or who are native signers (Deaf/signing family) should meet with the program coordinators to discuss Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) opportunities. 

Students who have taken 2 or more ASL classes in high school, with a B or better, should meet with the program coordinators for placement. 

Although individual courses may be offered on different campuses in both day/evening formats and/or online, Deaf Studies courses (DST/DSC) and upper level ASL courses (ASL 201 and 202) are primarily offered on the New Bedford campus for day, face-to-face classes or online; some Deaf Studies courses are solely offered online (Deaf History, Deaf Literature)

Students who do not earn a C or better in any ASL class, DST 101 Introduction to Deaf Studies or DST 110 Deaf Culture will not be able to complete an Associate's of Arts in Deaf Studies program and should speak to the program coordinators about options including retaking courses.

Students spend an additional hour per week engaged in language lab activities with every ASL class taken. Students are expected to attend various Deaf events and get involved with their program throughout their studies to apply their language skills and develop them further in real world, practical situations. 

Students may be required to undergo a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check for courses which require Community Based Learning or ASL 285 placements.

To meet transfer partner requirements, students need to: 

• earn grades of B or better in all ASL courses and maintain an overall GPA of 2.7 or higher. 

• speak and articulate English proficiently already.

Bristol offers several Deaf Studies concentrations to meet your career and academic goals. The concentration options are Transfer, Interpreter Transfer, Education, and Human Services. Students unsure of which option to choose should choose Deaf Studies: Transfer.  We also have a “Prep Certificate” for those that want to explore some introductory courses before they choose a concentration. Students can change program options any time during their studies with an advisor/program coordinator.

Although designed as a transfer program, graduates develop valuable skills which can be applied across many ASL workforce career paths or non-interpreter, 4-year programs.

If you are unsure if you can meet the essential functions required of the job of an ASL/English interpreter, please seek out the Office of Disability Services to discuss your situation and needs.

After Bristol

Bristol has an agreement with Framingham State University for seamless transfer to their ASL Studies – ASL/English Interpreter concentration.

Students have also successfully transferred to and graduated from: University of NH- Manchester, Northeastern University, Boston University, Gallaudet University, National Technical Institute of the Deaf and University of Southern Maine.

We are very proud to share that graduates of our program have, after completing/graduating from their 4-year degree, taken and passed their state certification (“screening”) through the Mass Commission for the Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing and obtained national certifications through Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID (Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf)) and/or Educational Interpreters Performance Assessment (EIPA). (The current pass rates for all applicants for RID written exam is 80 – 90% and the pass rate for the interview and performance assessment has been 25 – 30% since 2011.)