Interpreter Courses

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Last Updated: Aug 18, 2025, 08:46 AM

sign language interpreter courses

About

Southern Illinois University Office for Access and Accommodations seeks to offer Online Continuing Education Coursework for Sign Language Interpreters. The 5-week training is available online with a flexible schedule to accommodate your needs. Through the use of DVDs, articles, video clips we will use Discussion Boards to analyze the work of interpreting with our peers across the country and even from other countries. 

These courses for Sign Language Interpreters seek to foster an environment of mutual respect that is free of bias and discrimination. 

Coursework is accessed through SIU Online and work at your own pace to complete assignments as required.  You will receive an email confirmation when you register and a second email, just prior to the start of the course, providing your username and password to access the online course.

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Interpreter Courses

  • Course Information

    All courses are limited to 25 per course.  If you register for a upcoming course and are placed on a waitlist, we will contact you if a seat opens and you are next on the list. if you need to cancel a course, a refund, less $15 processing fee will be processed if it is two-weeks prior to the start date of the course.  

    All enrolled registrants will be contacted by email approximately 2-5 days prior to the start of the course, and be provided with details of how to login, their unique password and link to access the online course.

    • Upon completion, participants will earn professional study CEU's: 2.0
    • Cost: $100 per course 
    • Target Audience: Sign Language Interpreters.  CDIs/interpreting students are also encouraged to participate.

    Request for reasonable accommodations should be submitted via email, two weeks prior to the start of each course. Refunds, minus a $15 service fee, will be made if the request is received 2 weeks prior to course start date.  

    Registration for courses closes one week prior to the course start date or, until course is full. 

  • Registration

    Course offerings are paused for Fall 2025 and will return in 2026.  Please check back for updates.

    Register online or call and register by phone at  618-536-7751, M-F, 8am - 4:30pm CST.

Course Details

  • Medical Ethics and Terminology for Interpreters

    In this course participants will analyze the meaning of terms unique to the medical field by studying root words, prefixes and suffixes, review body structures and the vocabulary of Pharmacology and participate in online discussions of ethical concerns in medical interpreting. 

     

  • Idioms, Slang, Ethics, Etc.

    Idioms can be the bane of our existence. In this course we will analyze American Sign Language idioms and phrases. We will consider the cultural and ethical implications of their use while discussing regionalisms, accents and ethnicity and its impact on our interpreting. You will spend approximately 4
    hours each week analyzing DVDs, articles and video clips and discussing your reaction to this material with your peers.

     

  • Educational Interpreting and Ethics

    Educational Interpreting and Ethics is a 5-week, self-paced, online course intended to
    stimulate discussion of current trends and ethical issues in educational interpreting. The five
    units will include information presented in video or written format covering topics including
    language models, ‘motherese,’ prosody, interpreters as related service providers, IEP
    development, Code of Professional Conduct, social development and language deprivation.
    We will discuss significant developmental milestones in different age groups and how that
    affects interpreting. There will be an ethical issue presented and discussed each week
    through an online discussion board.



  • Team Interpreting

    We will explore why we need teams and what makes a good/bad team. You will have the opportunity to assess your own interpreting style and how you fit into a team, how you handle the support role, the active role, switching and more. Interpreting in the digital worlds has changed how and when we work with a team from embarrassing moments at home to protecting the privacy of our clients. We will also discuss our role in the CDI/Hearing interpreter team, pre-interpreting meetings and how to evaluate the experience afterward. This workshop is filled with questions to help you explore your role in the interpreting team.

     

  • Medical Ethics and Terminology for Interpreters

     

    In this course participants will analyze the meaning of terms unique to the medical field, review body structures, review vocabulary of Pharmacology and participate in online discussions of ethical concerns in the medical interpreting field.

     

  • Educational Interpreting and Ethics

    Educational Interpreting and Ethics is a 5-week, self-paced, online course intended to
    stimulate discussion of current trends and ethical issues in educational interpreting. The five
    units will include information presented in video or written format covering topics including
    language models, ‘motherese,’ prosody, interpreters as related service providers, IEP
    development, Code of Professional Conduct, social development and language deprivation.
    We will discuss significant developmental milestones in different age groups and how that
    affects interpreting. There will be an ethical issue presented and discussed each week
    through an online discussion board.

     

  • Team Interpreting

    We will explore why we need teams and what makes a good/bad team. You will have the opportunity to assess your own interpreting style and how you fit into a team, how you handle the support role, the active role, switching and more. Interpreting in the digital worlds has changed how and when we work with a team from embarrassing moments at home to protecting the privacy of our clients. We will also discuss our role in the CDI/Hearing interpreter team, pre-interpreting meetings and how to evaluate the experience afterward. This workshop is filled with questions to help you explore your role in the interpreting team.

     

CEU and Contacts

Missouri Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is the approved RID CMP Sponsor for these Continuing Education courses. This Professional Studies program is offered for 2.0 CEUs at the "some" Content Knowledge Level.

Patty Erwin

Patty Erwin is the course director, she designs and facilitates all CEU courses offered.  She is a full time  staff member and Senior Interpreter for the Office of Access and Accommodations at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Email:
erwin@siu.edu

Rebecca Dycus

For Registration Questions