Gallaudet University partners with Central Piedmont Community College to

Enhance Educational Opportunities for Future Sign Language Interpreters

Students in CPCC two-year interpretation program can transfer credits to Gallaudets four-year
program to live and study in a bilingual, immersive environment
Washington, D.C. December 5, 2014 Gallaudet University today announced it has established
a collaborative agreement with Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, N.C., to
enhance educational opportunities for future sign language interpreters. The partnership allows
students in the two-year Associate in Applied Science degree in Interpretation Education
program at CPCC to transfer credits into Gallaudets four-year Bachelor of Arts in Interpretation
(BAI) program. Students will live, study, and interact with deaf and hard of hearing people from
the United States and abroad on Gallaudets bilingual campus.
Gallaudet is the only university in the world that offers both undergraduate (B.A.) and graduate
degrees (M.A. and Ph.D.) in interpretation studies within a sign language immersive
environment. Gallaudets recently renovated and award-winning interactive interpretation
laboratories prepare students for a high-demand career through hands-on training in a variety of
medical, business, education, and government settings.
Our unique linguistic and cultural immersion is one of the many strengths of our interpretation
degree programs, said Dr. Melanie Metzger, chair of the Gallaudet Department of Interpretation.
Our goal through this agreement is for CPCC graduates to earn a bachelors degree at Gallaudet
and then to take those skills with them throughout the country to provide high-quality
interpretation services to the deaf and hard of hearing community.
As a deaf person who grew up with little to no access to interpreters, I understand the hardships
many deaf and hard of hearing people face if they do not have a competent sign language
interpreter present during doctors appointments and other important meetings, said Gallaudet
President T. Alan Hurwitz. This partnership is one of the ways our institutions are ensuring that
deaf and hard of hearing people around the country receive adequate interpreting services.
The need for skilled interpreters became an issue of international interest last December during
the Nelson Mandela memorial service in South Africa. The services official sign language
interpreter did not interpret the speakers comments into any discernable language and the global
deaf community was outraged. Dr. Metzger and BAI program coordinator Dr. Keith Cagle were
sought out by national media outlets such as CNN, USA TODAY, and The Washington Post to
comment on the controversy.
The Mandela service brought to the forefront a very serious issue deaf and hard of hearing
people around the world face a lack of qualified sign language interpreters, said Dr. Cagle.
We look forward to welcoming CPCC students to Gallaudet as they pursue their dreams of
becoming professional interpreters. In the long run, skilled interpreters serve all of us, both
hearing and deaf, by ensuring people communicate, interact, and work together successfully.
Graduates from Gallaudets interpretation degree programs work in a variety of settings for
organizations, individuals, and government agencies. Alumni have gone on to start their own

businesses, receiving contract work in settings such as business, education, government, theatre,
medicine, law, health care, and video relay.
The interpretation classes are optimized for ASL medium teaching and classrooms are equipped
to serve the needs of the rapidly advancing field of interpretation. The departments amenities
include tools that allow for recording live and interactive interpreting role play, video
conferencing for national and global collaboration among students and faculty, and private
recording booths and central computer stations for individual and class activities. The department
also houses an Interpretation and Translation Research Center, which includes a library, filming
rooms, video relay services (VRS) simulation center, and student research bays with video and
statistical software.
To learn more about Gallaudets Bachelor of Arts in Interpretation program, click here.
Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, is a bilingual, diverse, multicultural institution
of higher education that ensures the intellectual and professional advancement of deaf and hard
of hearing individuals through American Sign Language and English. Gallaudet maintains a
proud tradition of research and scholarly activity and prepares its graduates for career
opportunities in a highly competitive, technological, and rapidly changing world.
Contact:
Kaitlin Luna, Coordinator of Media and Public Relations
(202) 448-7106 voice
(202) 250-2973 videophone
(585) 507-1705 mobile/text
kaitlin.luna@gallaudet.edu