FAQs ABOUT MENTORING...

1.  Today, mentors are more-readily-available than they were some 40-30-20, even 10 years ago.

2. 10-20 years ago, interpreters found mentor's a lot like finding a sponsor, whoever was around that knew more than them. Mentoring was unorganized, off the cuff and costly.   

3. It is still true today,  that there are never enough qualified interpreters and Interpreting Mentors to meet the needs of  graduate and future interpreters graduates completing ITP training classes.

4. Mentoring fees can vary drastically based on supply and demand with underskilled and untrained mentors.

5. A Mentor's ability to teach the most important and necessary aspects of interpreting, will vary based on what types of interpreting work the Mentor has been doing. For example: Community Free Lance interpreting, Medical, Legal, Video Relay Post-Secondary, (University, Community Colleges) and more.

6. Another very important factor is, how many years has the teacher been signing and interpreting within the Deaf community?

7. It can take a sign language interpreter many, many years, perhaps 10-15 years, of daily interpreting to be able to have developed the kind of knowledge and understanding to teach about people who are Deaf and hard of hearing, their community, the Deaf Culture, and their language.

8. What level of certification does the mentor/teacher hold and for how long have they held the certification? If it is less than the NIC Advanced or the NAD Advanced and they do not hold a Bachelor’s Degree or higher If they have held their Advanced certification for less than 5 years, you may not be getting your money’s worth and they may not be the best mentor for your needs.

9. What has been their focus for the past 5 years? Has it been diversified or mainly in one area, for example, education K-12, or specific job force like the Department of Rehabilitation etc.

10. The average mentor is not qualified to teach. Ask your prospective mentor what are their qualifications to teach ASL, the culture and about the Deaf community? Ask them if they have a teaching credential, community college certificate to teach ASL, and do they have their CBEST? The California Basic Educational Skills Test. The CBEST allows you to be a substitute teacher in the educational system.

11. Most students never check their teachers background and qualifications, Always check on the qualifications of the instructor.

12. A Mentor can charge, on average, $50 to over $100 per hour!