Nanci Niedermayer Yanes remembers the first time she really thought about what it must be like to be deaf. She was eight years old, and saw her 3-year-old neighbor out riding her tricycle. A teenage driver nearly struck the younger child, who couldn't hear the car coming. Niedermayer Yanes pushed her out of harm's way.
The incident sparked Niedermayer Yanes' interest in American Sign Language (ASL). She's been an interpreter for 28 years now, starting in school and mental health settings and eventually switching to healthcare. Even after becoming a nurse, she continued interpreting, and is a per diem interpreter with Regions Hospital in St. Paul (www.regionshospital.com), which employs 10 ASL interpreters.
"It's the most wonderful career that I could ever have chosen," she says. "My life has worked out really well and I never, ever dreamed of giving up interpreting."
Qualities of a pro
Christine Boyer, interpreter supervisor at regions, describes the ideal ASL interpreter as someone who adapts easily to change, especially given the variety of situations, such as trauma or births, in which he or she might be called upon to interpret. ASL interpreters need to be highly qualified and have excellent interpersonal skills.
They must also have good judgment, strong boundaries and be able to think fast, according to Laurie Swabey, professor of Interpretation at the College of St. Catherine. "You have to make quick decisions that are appropriate and have excellent self-monitoring and self-analysis skills as well, because you're the only bilingual person in that situation," Swabey adds. "You have to be interested in other languages and cultures, and not expect things to go a certain way."
Degree program in healthcare interpreting
St. Catherine (www.stkate.edu) offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in ASL interpretation for healthcare, and is one of six colleges and universities in the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers — an organization funded by the federal government to increase the number of qualified interpreters. (For information, visit www.discoverinterpreting.com.)
In addition to their ASL courses, students must also study ethics, deaf culture, medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and communications. They must also do a one-semester internship in a hospital or clinic, Swabey says.
In the Twin Cities, freelancers can expect to earn $35 to $50 per hour, according to Marty Barnum, director of interpreting operations for Communications Service for the Deaf, which does interpreter referral in Minnesota and North Dakota. Hospital staff interpreters across the metro could earn $25 to $35 per hour, plus benefits, according to Boyer.
"For people who have always had an interest in healthcare, but don't want to do the technical piece, it's a great opportunity," Swabey says. "Right now in the Twin Cities I would guess there aren't many full-time staff positions open, but there is a 24-hour need for interpreters. If they're willing to look nationally, they can really go just about anywhere they want."
