Sorenson, the industry leader in providing language services to deaf, hard-of-hearing and diverse communities, recently announced that it offered more than 50,000 hours of instruction last year thanks to a series of events moving towards the development of an American Sign Language teaching program (ASL).

In addition to conducting 17 panel webinars for nearly 1,000 underrepresented interpreters and interpreting students, Sorenson also helped more than 275 new interpreters start their careers via Video Relay Service (VRS) and its Emerald Program, designed to close the gap between school and work that delays the employment of many interpreters.

Jorge Rodríguez, CEO of Sorenson, noted:

We are committed to providing ongoing professional training and development of American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters because we know the tremendous and meaningful impact it has in the lives of the communities we serve.

Get to know: Sorenson

With 50 experienced educators who are diverse and passionate about teaching interpreting, Sorenson continues to lead the industry in ASL interpreter training.

With the goal of ensuring that the more than 5,000 diverse interpreters receive training and education that enhances their skills and propels them forward in their interpreting careers, Sorenson affirms its support for the communication needs of people who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind.

“Diversity and inclusion are values that are reflected in Sorenson’s interpreting education — over half of the Sorenson interpreter educators are themselves deaf or heritage language users,” said Stephanie Criner, Sorenson’s Interpreter Education and Professional Development Executive Director.

Sorenson provided 50,000+ hours of interpreter training last year…and that’s just one part of our programs to support a satisfying interpreter experience. https://t.co/xroKxQTnBO

— Sorenson (@Sorenson_Comm) February 16, 2023

Improving lives 

Thanks to the support of the Corporate Consortium — Sorenson's program in partnership with Amazon — 29 new and diverse interpreters in the field of interpreting were promoted last year, including six trilingual interpreters.

For its part, Sorenson's Compass program, administered by educators who are deaf or with deaf parents, provided personalized educational and employment opportunities to more than 100 participants in 2022. Over the past five years, Compass has supported more than 450 participants with parents who are deaf and almost fluent in their journey to becoming professional interpreters for Sorenson and their local communities.

Sorenson's Deaf Interpreter Academy (DIA), which works to promote best practice and employment of deaf interpreters, also hosted monthly affinity mentoring for deaf interpreters from traditionally underrepresented communities and supported over 75 deaf interpreters’ transition into and level up in their professional interpreting work.

“Since 2018, Sorenson has provided over 160,000 hours of instructional content to thousands of interpreters. Sorenson’s commitment to training and diversity within the field of interpreting is what distinguishes our education programs,” said Laura Hartness, Sorenson senior vice president of Operations.