Need a student volunteer interpreter?
Do you want the services of a volunteer student interpreter?
Students in the Department of Sign Language Interpretation at Douglas College offer volunteer interpreting services for events where professional interpreters are not provided. All requests are reviewed by department faculty.
Please make your request at least two weeks in advance of the event and include all the following information:
- Date?
- Where?
- What time? (start and finish time)
- What is the event?
- How can we contact you? We need your e-mail address or phone number. (If you do not provide this information we cannot provide student interpreters.)
The best way to make a request for a student interpreter is by e-mail to:
You may also contact us by video-phone @ IP 140.161.51.16
or send your request via TokBox to intr@douglas.bc.ca
Availability
Students are available to provide volunteer interpreting services only if they are not in classes and will attend all events in a team of two. A student will reply to your message within two-three days so you know we have received your request.
Students are generally not available from Christmas to the end of February each year because second-year students are out of town on practicum and first-year students do not start volunteering until the end of February.
All requests for volunteers will be checked by department faculty. Students provide free interpreting service to help them learn how to interpret and work with Deaf people in the community. Your requests to have students interpret for you helps prepare them to be skilled professional interpreters.
Students cannot provide interpreting service at any assignment which has funding available to pay professional interpreters. We also cannot provide service for the following settings:
- Legal
- Medical
- Mental Health (counsellors)
- Police interviews
- ICBC interviews
- School-related activities
If you are not sure if your request is appropriate for students, please send it to us and we will let you know if it's possible for students to attend. Examples of the kind of events where students provide interpreting include:
- Family reunions
- Variety of Sporting events or lessons
- Co-op housing meetings
- Bible study groups
- Cub Scouts, etc.
- Deaf children's activities
- Children's activities that Deaf parents wish to attend