FAQ

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 mandates that a comprehensive variety of public and private services as well as employers must be accessible to all people, regardless of disability. When dealing with people who are Deaf, Deaf-blind, or hard of hearing, this means that communication must be accessible. In many cases, the best way to ensure this is to have an interpreter.

An interpreter may be used any time communication is occurring between people who do not share the same language. Deaf, Deaf-blind, and hard of hearing people may not have access to information if it is presented in English, either verbally or in writing. Some simple communications (for example, between a Deaf customer and a clerk in a store) can be done through written notes or gestures, but any time important content is being communicated, having an interpreter present safeguards the participants by ensuring that information is accessible to both parties.

The ADA states that all public and private agencies that provide services to the general public, and all employers with 15 or more employees, must be accessible. This means that, if your agency, service, or business is accessible to people without disabilities, it must be accessible to people with disabilities. Additionally, companies with 15 or more employees must follow fair hiring and employment practices when considering candidates with disabilities. (However, the ADA is superceded in Washington State by RCW, which covers employers with 8 or more employees.) Therefore, it is the agency, service, or business which is responsible for payment for interpreting services.

Interpreting services should be budgeted as part of your annual planning for accessibility services. It is true that, on a per-encounter basis, you may pay more for interpreting services than you generate in revenue for your company. However, if you consider the cost over the course of a year as an overhead cost of doing business, providing accessible services is quite reasonable.

You will be asked to pay usually a two hour minimum charge for interpreting services. Because interpreters come to you, on your schedule, their fees have to take into account the amount of time spent traveling between jobs, wait time for the next assignment to start, and down time when no work is available. Additionally, travel time is sometimes charged, depending on how far the interpreter has to travel to your assignment.

When you schedule an interpreter, you are purchasing his/her time. If you have to cancel your request, it may or may not be possible to sell that time to another customer. Please be sure to ask about our cancellation policy when requesting an interpreter.

There's never too much advance notice! Interpreters are a scarce resource, and often the demand exceeds the supply. Because interpreters come to you, on your schedule, we must juggle many customers' needs to try to accommodate as many requests as possible. The farther in advance you can plan appointments, trainings, or meetings where you will be using an interpreter, the better. However, if you have a last minute need, don't despair. Often another customer will cancel interpreting services at the last minute, freeing up an interpreter's time for your last minute request.

Interpreting is a complex task, requiring near-native language skills in at least two languages, as well as a deep knowledge of two cultures. A skilled interpreter should provide the full content of an interaction between two or more people who do not share the same language. This often requires exposure to and understanding of the information that is being transmitted, as well as interpreting skills. Most interpreters have studied American Sign Language for two to five years, and one to three years of interpreter training. Our interpreters are either nationally or state certified and they are required to continue expanding their skills on an annual basis.

The national testing system (NIC) and the state testing system (BEI) are in place to evaluate an interpreter's skills. All of our interpreters (except interns) have passed either the Board of Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) examination administered by the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) or the National Interpreter Certification administered by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (RID). These tests include knowledge of culture, ethics, interpreting skills as well as the mastery of the English language. These are very rigorous examinations which guarantees a minimum level of competency. Additionally, since ACI is owned and managed by experienced interpreters, all of our interpreters are screened to determine their level of skills before being placed on assignments. Of course, no one interpreter can be qualified for every situation, so ACI's scheduler has the responsibility to gather as much information about your assignment as possible to determine which of our interpreters will best meet your needs.

All certified interpreters are required to follow the RID Code of Ethics which can be found here. This Code of Ethics requires that interpreters behave in a manner appropriate to their position, e.g. interpreters may not add to, omit, or change the message they are interpreting; all assignment-related information must remain confidential; interpreters will use their judgment when accepting assignments; no personal opinions or advice can be interjected while interpreting. If you feel an interpreter has behaved unethically, you can contact RID/BEI to find out how to file a grievance against that interpreter here or here.