Our Mission
Across the country, there is a growing need for limited English Proficiency (LEP) people to access community services. Various non-English speaking communities have faced increased barriers to accessing the community services they need (social services, medical services, educational services, etc) due to a lack of available interpreters to facilitate communication and mitigate cultural/linguistic barriers. Out of the interpreters available, there is often little to no interpreter training offered to support interpreters to perform at their highest potential. Next Generation Language Access (NGLA) was created to meet this need by providing high quality interpreter training to bilingual high school students. NGLA aims to provide students with a viable career opportunity upon graduation from high school that will both emphasize their inherent bilingual skills and fill the need for professional interpreters in community settings. As such, NGLA aims to train the next generation of professional interpreters that will help decrease nation-wide gaps in equitable language access.
Organizational Objectives
NGLA will fulfill its vision by meeting the objectives listed below:
1. Students will complete the 40-hour Community Interpreter program by a licensed interpreter trainer.
2. Students will demonstrate mastery of the Community Interpreter program content by completing a written evaluation regarding all the content presented during the Community Interpreter Program.
3. Students will demonstrate proof of language proficiency by taking the Oral proficiency interview (OPI) or OPIc as provided by Language Testing International. Students will score at least Advanced Low on the language proficiency test.
4. Students will complete a 20-hour practicum to gain realistic work experience that will enable them to apply the content learned in the 40-hour Community Interpreter program.