Department of
ASL - English Interpretation

Introduction

The Department of ASL-English Interpretation at Columbia College Chicago is home to the only nationally accredited, BA-granting ASL-English Interpretation program in the Chicago Metropolitan area. Our undergraduate degree program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education.

Since 1993, our department has prepared students for work in the fields of Deafness, American Sign Language, and ASL-English Interpretation. The curriculum emphasizes work with the Deaf population as a linguistic and cultural minority. As such, graduates of our department not only become aware of and sensitive to issues concerning Deafness, but they also become effective cultural and linguistic mediators working in diverse communities.

The high demand for American Sign Language interpreters in the United States affords graduates of our program the opportunity to find employment in a host of fields, including the preforming arts, corporate and business offices, and education. Our graduates also hold local, state, and national positions with interpreting organizations, and some pursue advanced degrees in the fields of interpretation, linguistics, education, and the social sciences. Regardless of their chosen field, students graduate well prepared to help shape the future of this dynamic, important, and deeply fulfilling profession.