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Sign Language Interpreting
Major
Build Bridges Between Deaf and Hearing Communities
The Sign Language Interpreting major is one of the few four-year interpreting programs in the region. You build fluency in American Sign Language, study Deaf culture and linguistics, and develop the interpreting skills and ethics to work as a qualified professional.
This is a hands-on degree that prepares you for meaningful, real-world work from the start. Every student completes a capstone senior-year internship in a professional interpreting setting, so part of your final year is spent on placement, applying your skills with real clients alongside certified mentors.
Is Sign Language Interpreting Right for You?
If you want work that matters and want proof it leads somewhere, this is a strong fit. 100% of recent interpreting graduates passed the Indiana Quality Assurance Screening or earned state-level certification. A degree here prepares you for careers as an educational, medical, legal, or video relay interpreter, or for a position as a community outreach specialist.
It’s also deeply people-centered work. You’re learning to stand alongside the Deaf community, and you’ll do it through real relationships built with the local Deaf community. The program welcomes students of every background who want to serve others through language.
View the complete program requirements in our catalog.
Real Experience From Year One
You’ll be immersed in real-world experience from your first year, having regular interaction with the local Deaf community, observations of professional interpreters in action, and participation in state and regional interpreting conferences. There’s also an optional summer immersion in Deaf culture or interpreter training.
ASL students work as interpreters for weekly convocations in the College Mennonite Church and during theater productions. These opportunities allow you to develop your skills in real scenarios, not just in the classroom.
The capstone is a senior-year internship that places you in a professional interpreting setting. Students have interned with hospitals, schools, churches, and courtrooms. You’ll practice and analyze your work in video labs and small-group interpreting labs, mentored by experienced, certified interpreters, so you graduate ready for certification and employment.
Name
Current Position
Paying for Goshen
It’s worth asking about early. Sign language interpreting students are eligible for a variety of Goshen College scholarships. To see your own price after aid, run the net price calculator and talk with a real person in the financial aid office.
Common Questions About Sign Language Interpreting Major
Graduates work as educational, medical, legal, video relay, religious, and freelance interpreters, and as community outreach specialists, in schools, hospitals, courts, government agencies, and non-profits. 100% of recent graduates passed the Indiana Quality Assurance Screening or earned state-level certification, and many continue into graduate interpreter training or linguistics.
Coursework includes American Sign Language I–V and Interpreting I–III. You also take courses that help you understand Deaf Culture and History and professional ethical standard. You have the option of adding a certificate in educational, healthcare, or performance interpreting, which allows you to go a little deeper into those specific fields.
From year one you interact regularly with the local Deaf community, observe professional interpreters, and attend state and regional interpreting conferences, with an optional summer immersion. Your senior-year capstone internship places you in a real setting; students have interned with hospitals, schools, churches, and courtrooms, mentored by certified interpreters.
Sign language interpreting students are eligible for a variety of Goshen College scholarships. Use the net price calculator on the financial aid page to see your real number rather than a sticker price, and review current opportunities on the scholarships page. A financial aid counselor can walk you through the options and the steps to apply.
Start your application at the Goshen College apply page, or request information first if you’d like to talk through fit, the internship, or careers in interpreting before committing. You can also schedule a visit to meet the faculty and see the interpreting labs. Admission to Goshen is the first step into the major.
Diana Boussom
Assistant Professor of American Sign Language
Colleen Geier
Professor of ASL Interpreting
Ready to get started?
Diana Boussom
Assistant Professor of American Sign Language
Cristobal Garza Gonzalez
Associate Professor of Spanish
Colleen Geier
Professor of ASL Interpreting
Terry Martin
Associate Professor of Spanish
