About this role
JOB TITLE: VRI American Sign Language Interpreter - Employee
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
JOB SUMMARY: Qualified American Sign Language Interpreters are responsible for facilitating VRI interpreting in a professional and accurate manner. Interpreters must possess and maintain competence, proficiency, and professionalism in English and ASL. Due to the sensitive nature of much of the information processed during an interpretation session, interpreters must adhere to ethical and confidential standards at all times.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Perform interpretations that are grammatically and syntactically accurate.
• Punctuality and attendance are expected; timeliness is necessary as it directly reflects on the agency as well as the interpreter. If an issue arises it is the interpreter’s responsibility to inform the scheduling staff as soon as possible.
• Interpreters are expected to work collaboratively with other internal or external interpreters.
• As a representative of Hands Up Communications interpreters should exhibit professional behavior including attire, timeliness, attitude, manner, and overall behavior.
• Interpreters are expected to adhere to ethical standards, procedures, and protocols specific to interpreting context (i.e. hospitals, courts, schools, etc.).
• Confidentiality is required for all interpreting assignments unless specific circumstances arise that would cause the interpreter to violate the law. The content learned while on assignment is considered confidential. Additional information can be found in Hands Up Communication’s confidentiality/HIPAA agreements.
• Effectively represent the Hands Up Communications brand when interacting with customers in the field.
• Utilize the necessary technology for accurate reporting for billing, scheduling, and service evaluation.
QUALIFICATIONS/PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
• Bachelor of Arts degree (preferred); Associates of Arts degree accepted or 3+ years of experience in lieu of formal degree.
• Must hold or be eligible to obtain an Iowa sign language interpreter license.
• RID or BEI certification preferred but not required. Candidates working toward certification are encouraged to apply.
• Acceptable score on the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA), as applicable to the role.
• Knowledge of the community, culture, and values of the people and language to be interpreted.
• Facilitate communication between English and American Sign Language.
• Possess or have the ability to obtain local, regional, or national credentials. Maintain, as applicable, compliance with any national, state, or local licensure and/or certification requirements.
• Demonstrate the ability to work independently while meeting performance and customer service expectations.
• Ability to apply code of ethics and standards of practice.
• Ability to interpret for extended periods of time.
BENEFITS:
• Paid Time Off
• Max of 80 hours in your first year and 112 annually thereafter
• Holidays off
• Your birthday off
• 401K matching up to 3%
• Health Insurance
• Dental/Vision
• Free professional development for workshops sponsored by Hands Up
• Certification and professional membership reimbursement
• Employee incentive programs to earn extra cash
• Access to mentoring/internship program
• Covered under company liability insurance
• No requirement for private LLC or S-Corp
PAID TIME OFF:
Full-time employees may carry over up to 40 hours of paid time off per calendar year. Any amount above 40 hours will be forfeited at the beginning of the new year.
POSITION TYPE: Full-time, 40 hours per week Monday through Friday. Work hours are flexible to meet the demands of the position. Evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: None.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Sedentary, sitting, and frequent near vision use for reading and computer usage. Interpreters may be required to sit for long periods of time.
EEO STATEMENT: Hands Up Communications provides equal employment/contracting opportunities to all individuals regardless of their race, color, belief, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law. Further, the company takes affirmative action to ensure that applicants and employees are treated without regard to any of these characteristics. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment.