Degree/Certificate Description:

The Associate of Arts Degree in Foundations of Interpreting will prepare students interested in laying a foundation for further study and for a baccalaureate degree in American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreting from a four-year college or university. 

With a degree in interpreting, students will be able to find employment anywhere Deaf people are present. This includes a range of possibilities from potentially interpreting for the President of the United States of America to guiding a kindergarten student on coloring inside the lines.  In addition to acquiring entry-level skills in the process of interpreting, students will learn important business and ethical practices. By completing specific General Education courses, this program fulfills many of the requirements and foundation courses for transfer to a baccalaureate in Sign Language Interpreting majors. 

 Purpose and Goals of Degree/Certificate:

 The goal of this program is to provide students with solid foundational understanding and applicable skills in the field of American Sign Language interpreting.  This degree is intended for students to transfer to a four-year institution to continue their studies in ASL interpreting.  Students who complete this degree will have a solid in-depth understanding of the profession of interpreting as well as beginning to intermediate skills in the process of interpreting.

 Specific Objectives of Degree/Certificate:

 TheDepartment of labor with the last census predicted an increase in the demand for American Sign Language Interpreters by 60% in 2020.  In 2008 the corpus of professional interpreters in the United States voted to only award certification in interpreting to individuals with a Bachelor's Degree or higher.  At the time most of the interpreter training programs (ITP) resided in two-year institutions.  Now with the opening of the new program at CSULB California has three four-year institutions that offer a degree in ASLinterpreting.  There is a demand for students to have access to a true two-year program that will provide foundational level education in interpreting without trying to teach the entire profession.  Other schools have circumvented this by having the first three semesters of a program be"prerequisites".  It is the goal of this program to be a model degree for proving two years of foundational, affordable education, allowing students to transfer with confidence to the four-year institution of their choice.

 The profession of interpreting does not demand mastery of ASL or English.  This program will develop the student language competency but will also focus on the entirely separate skill of interpretation.  Learning these skills early will increase the students chance of success after graduation.

We expect to complete 25 students annually.

Purpose and Goals of Degree/Certificate:

 The goal of this program is to provide students with solid foundational understanding and applicable skills in the field of American Sign Language interpreting.  This degree is intended for students to transfer to a four-year institution to continue their studies in ASL interpreting.  Students who complete this degree will have a solid in-depth understanding of the profession of interpreting as well as beginning to intermediate skills in the process of interpreting.

 Specific Objectives of Degree/Certificate:

 TheDepartment of labor with the last census predicted an increase in the demand for American Sign Language Interpreters by 60% in 2020.  In 2008 the corpus of professional interpreters in the United States voted to only award certification in interpreting to individuals with a Bachelor's Degree or higher.  At the time most of the interpreter training program (ITP) resided in two-year institutions.  Now with the opening of the new program atCSULB California has three four-year institutions that offer a degree in ASLinterpreting.  There is a demand for students to have access to a true two-year program that will provide foundational level education in interpreting without trying to teach the entire profession.  Other schools have circumvented this by having the first three semesters of a program be"prerequisites".  It is the goal of this program to be a model degree for proving two years of foundational, affordable education, allowing students to transfer with confidence to the four-year institution of their choice.

The profession of interpreting does not demand mastery of ASL or English.  This program will develop the student'language competency but will also focus on the entirely separate skill of interpretation.  Learning these skills early will increase the students chance of success after graduation.

Course Prefix and Number	Title of Course	Units
ASL 101	American Sign Language I	4
ASL 102	American Sign Language II	4
ASL 201	American Sign Language III	4
ASL 202	American Sign Language IV	4
ENGL 127 or	Language Structure and Language Use: Introduction to Linguistics	3
ENGL 127H	Language Structure and Language Use: Introduction to Linguistics Honors	3
ASL 124	Deaf Culture	3
ASL 211	Beginning Interpreting + Ethics 1	3
ASL 212	Beginning Interpreting + Ethics 2	3
ASL 220	Pathways to Interpreting Careers	2
	T  O  T  A  L    U   N  I  T  S	30

The courses listed in the Associate of Arts Degree in Foundations of Interpreting will provide students with solid foundational understanding and applicable skills in the field of American Sign Language interpreting.  This degree is intended for students to transfer to a four-year institution to continue their studies in ASL interpreting.  Students who complete this degree will have a solid in-depth understanding of the profession of interpreting as well as beginning to intermediate skills in the process of interpreting.

In addition to the courses listed, the following additional requirements must be met for completion of the Associate in Arts in Foundations of Interpreting Degree:

1. Completion of a minimum of 60 CSU-transferable semester units.
2. Achievement of a minimum GPA of at least 2.0 in all CSU-transferable coursework (some majors may require a higher GPA, students should consult with a counselor for more information).
3. Completion of the 18-20.5 semester units in the major with a grade of “C” or better.
4. Certified completion of the California State University General Education-Breadth (CSUGE) pattern; OR the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) pattern.

The following core courses are required

Course Prefix and Number	Title of Course	Units
ASL 101*	American Sign Language I	4
ASL 102	American Sign Language II	4
ASL 201	American Sign Language III	4
ASL 202	American Sign Language IV	4
ENGL 127 or	Language Structure and Language Use: Introduction to Linguistics	3
ENGL 127H	Language Structure and Language Use: Introduction to Linguistics Honors	3
ASL 124	Deaf Culture	3
ASL 211	Beginning Interpreting + Ethics 1	3
ASL 212	Beginning Interpreting + Ethics 2	3
ASL 220	Pathways to Interpreting Careers	2
	T  O  T  A  L    U   N  I  T  S	30

*For ASL 101, ENGL 030 or ENLA 034 or appropriate assessment; READ 022 or appropriate assessment is advised but not required.  

Communication and Languages Division > Subject Area: ASL - American Sign Language

Sign Language Interpreting at Compton, El Camino, Golden West, LA Pierce, Mt. San Antonio, Saddleback, Santiago Canyon

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