January 2023 – GLOBO is pleased to announce the launch of a professional development partnership with Augustana University benefiting American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting students. This is the first time GLOBO will offer its robust ASL interpreting internship program to students outside of the state of Texas.
Through this partnership, students enrolled at the South Dakota-based university will gain access to virtual weekly Skills Labs, professional Deaf and hearing mentors, and in-depth video remote interpretation (VRI) training. Additionally, the program will expand the scope of traditional interpreting internship hours to allow students to shadow the business and leadership side of the interpreting industry.
“At GLOBO, we are passionate about investing in the next generation of interpreters," said Whitney Douglass, Director of Operations at GLOBO.
“We are thrilled to provide students with the opportunity to explore the interpreting industry as a whole and play a role in identifying future leaders to continue to carry our mission forward.”
- Whitney Douglass, GLOBO Director of Operations
One Augustana student, Mekhi Moore, will be relocating to Houston to participate in the internship program in person. “As I am interning in my final semester of college, GLOBO will equip me with the necessary tools to become a professional community member among interpreters,” said Moore. “GLOBO uniquely makes me feel at home and inspired as an intern among changemakers.”
In South Dakota, interpreters must hold a current NAD (National Association for the Deaf) or RID (Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf) certification, which limits the number of professionals who can provide interpreting services in the state. As the need for qualified interpreters grows, many states are expanding certification requirements to include Texas’ Board for Evaluation of Interpreter (BEI) certification. The BEI certification is well-known and highly respected as a valid and reliable measure of interpreter qualification; if the state law is redefined to include BEI, South Dakota could increase its pool of interpreters exponentially.
“Augustana University is thrilled to partner with GLOBO Language Solutions for Sign Language Interpreting internships,” said Christa Gunderson, Program Director of Sign Language Interpreting at Augustana University. “Students join our program from across the United States, it is exciting to have a network available as we strive to close the school-to-work gap.”
GLOBO looks forward to continuing to invest in developing quality interpreters and expanding training opportunities for aspiring interpreters nationwide.
About GLOBO
GLOBO is a health equity-focused communications provider that helps organizations communicate across languages. Providing robust data and insights through a revolutionary cloud-based platform, GLOBO HQ. GLOBO has been featured on the Inc. 500|5000 for seven consecutive years and ranked in the Top 20 of the 2021 Nimdzi Interpreting Index: Ranking of the Top Interpreting Service Providers.