Internship
Access
Interpreting
During the summer of 2024, I had the opportunity to intern at Access Interpreting, a leading ASL interpreting provider located in Washington, D.C. Access Interpreting offers services across the United States, including opportunities for interns to work virtually or in person, and serves educational, federal agencies, medical, commercial, and community settings.
Beginning in May 2024, I interned virtually with Access to refine my skills and expand my experience interpreting in new domains. As an intern alongside certified interpreters, I completed over 200 hours of observation and interpreting assignments in highly technical settings, including business, government, professional, and training contexts. Each week, I also worked with a supportive mentor to prepare or debrief assignments. Professional development workshops were also hosted by experienced Access staff interpreters, who offered insight into working with Certified Deaf Interpreters, interpreting ethics, mental health, and freelance interpreting.
​
My internship with Access concluded in August 2024; however, the opportunity to observe and work alongside interpreters from diverse backgrounds and in various environments is an experience I will carry with me throughout my career. Each assignment offered the opportunity to explore a new specialty and dynamic, especially as a virtual interpreter, that motivated me to adapt and discover my own unique interpreting niche.
Educational
Interpreting
After completing 50 observation hours of a nationally certified educational interpreter currently working in a local high school, I transitioned to interpreting under the supervision of the host interpreter as an intern. While participating in this internship from September 2024 through May 2025, throughout the 8-hour school day twice weekly, I interpreted various educational subjects, including college credit courses, career center cinematography, ROTC, statistics, and performance arts. Each course offered unique demands in content, discourse organization, classroom dynamics, and student involvement. However, alongside the host interpreter and Deaf student, I had the opportunity to apply my educational interpreting coursework and refine my skills.
​
Each day, I witnessed the direct results of inclusion while navigating the high school social environment and how language differences impact interactions. Ultimately, it was my priority to promote the success of the Deaf student, whether it be via educational content, interpreting adjacent peer gossip, conversations between a large group of friends, or recognizing moments for cultural mediation.
​
While completing my internship, my host interpreter served as a consistent and supportive mentor by supplying resources for professional development, such as certification study materials, workshops, and introducing new connections in the interpreting field. Skill review sessions were also held each week to analyze my performance. However, another crucial pillar in my experience was the opportunity to observe monthly meetings with the Teacher of the Deaf (TOD) to better understand their role within the educational team.
​
​