•  If you are a people person, you will love interpreting and interacting with people of diverse languages and backgrounds.
• Sign language interpreters work in any area where communication needs to happen, so the possibilities of interest are endless. You could work in any of the following areas: education, medical, law, non-profit work, government, human resources, advocacy, the performing arts, or technology. You could even work from home.
•  The demand for sign language interpreters is growing and will continue to grow. Societal changes, technological innovations and Deaf professionals’ greater access to interpretation services are causes of this continued growth.
• You can work anywhere in the U.S. and abroad. However, interpreters will always have the greatest opportunity for work where there are larger Deaf communities.
• The average beginning salary for interpreters is comparable to a beginning teacher’s salary, but this can vary by state.  In Kentucky, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation sets a free-lance rate for interpreters that most interpreters working for themselves follow. Pay depends upon one’s education level, amount of experience, credentials, and the type of work the interpreter is provides.
• EKU’s interpreter education program is accredited, and our graduates intern and are employed by the Kentucky Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kentucky School for the Deaf, EKU Center for Student Accessibility, Sign Language Network of KY, Rochester Institute of Technology, Central Kentucky Interpreter Referral (CKIR), Interpreting Services of the Commonwealth (ISC), Sorenson Communications, and many other agencies.

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Watch these videos by EKU’s Department of American Sign Language Interpreter Education faculty, staff, students, and graduates.