As with any profession, certifications can assure the hiring party a certain level of competency. Although a national certification recognized by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf does not guarantee that an American Sign Language interpreter is the right match to a particular communications need, it does insure that the interpreter has agreed to specific ethical standards and practices and has been able to pass core competency exams.

In addition to looking at an interpreter's certification, it is important to know their strengths and weaknesses in any given situation. Top level interpreters possess an extremely large vocabulary and self-monitor themselves to make sure they are able to meet both the ethical and technical  demands of the situation for which they are being asked to interpret.

It is important that an interpreter has the flexibility and life experience to meet the expectations of the environments in which they choose to work. We screen each interpreter and continue to monitor their performance and community relations throughout their relationship with us. We work hard to mentor and guide our interpreters and to learn from them also. We encourage feedback and recommendations for our Clients, our Interpreters and our Deaf Clients.

Access Services Northwest has gained a reputation within the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, WA metropolitan area for providing professional American Sign Language Interpreters for situations that require a high standard of competency and vocabulary skills in settings such as business, professional, medical, legal and post-secondary educational settings (faculty and students). In our commitment to maintaining the kind of service that has earned us this reputation, we are currently only considering freelance interpreters that fall within the following RID national certification guidelines for our team.

If you are a freelance interpreter and feel you meet our standards of excellence please contact us to discuss our registration and screening process.