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Staff interpreter skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Quoted experts
Laura Polhemus Ph.D.,
Katty Kauffman
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical staff interpreter skills. We ranked the top skills for staff interpreters based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 38.4% of staff interpreter resumes contained asl as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a staff interpreter needs to be successful in the workplace.

9 staff interpreter skills for your resume and career

1. ASL

American Sign Language (ASL) is a language that communicates ideas by using hand signs, facial expressions, and body posture.

Here's how staff interpreters use asl:
  • Utilized basic ASL medical terminology to provide access and facilitate communication between adult patients and medical staff or doctor.
  • Provided ASL interpreting services for medical interpreting and religious interpreting including funerals, religious events and services

2. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how staff interpreters use mental health:
  • Interpreted for legal, educational, medical, mental health, government, private, political, and social events.
  • Interpreted in a variety of settings including social services, medical, workshops, some mental health, etc.

3. Interpretation Services

Interpretation services refers to the process of translating information from one language to another. These services can be for languages that are spoken or signed and require the translator to be fluent in both languages and even the tones necessary to convey the messages.

Here's how staff interpreters use interpretation services:
  • Provided interpretation services for Limited English Proficiency patients in several hospitals and medical centers throughout the health system.
  • Provided all interpretation services involving maritime personal injuries by Vietnamese claimants, up to and including settlements with the maritime insurance company

4. Sign Language

Sign language is a system of communication using gestures and signs. The deaf community applies sign language when communicating with each other or other people.

Here's how staff interpreters use sign language:
  • Provided sign language services for agency staff and community consumers
  • Sign Language Interpreter for deaf clients in multiple government sites and community locations in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

5. LEP

LEP stands for Limited English Proficiency. It is a term that refers to a person who has difficulty reading and speaking the English language. A vast range of programs and benefits might elude individuals because they do not fully understand the language.

Here's how staff interpreters use lep:
  • Performed consecutive interpretation services over the phone to provide quality interpretation between clients and LEP.
  • Interpret questions, answers and concerns of LEP (Limited English Proficiency) patients.

6. Social Services

Here's how staff interpreters use social services:
  • Provided professional interpreting services for clinics by representing Spanish-speaking clients for medical evaluations and other health-related or social services.
  • Perform Spanish-English simultaneous or consecutive in-person interpretations in social services, health care, and education.

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7. IEP

Here's how staff interpreters use iep:
  • Staff interpreter Mentored new interpreters to the district Interpret staff meetings and involved with IEP meetings for students
  • Facilitated communication within educational settings including classroom instruction, IEP and development sessions.

8. K-12

K12 is a term that incldues all 12 years of education in the US education system. It includes the education offered at the primary stage, middle stage, and secondary stage. It includes children of ages as young as 5 to 18 years. The grades included in K12 are Kindergarten, the initial 5 stages, grades 6 to 8, and 9 to 12. This system is followed specifically followed in the US and may vary in other countries.

Here's how staff interpreters use k-12:
  • Evaluated and reactivated licensing credentials for K-12 educators.
  • Followed lesson plans left by the regular teacher, teaching all subject matters grades k-12.

9. Professional Development

Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.

Here's how staff interpreters use professional development:
  • Coordinated professional development workshops for interpreters.
top-skills

What skills help Staff Interpreters find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What staff interpreter skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Laura Polhemus Ph.D.

Advanced Assistant Professor, Bethel University

We are continuing to see more and more virtual interpreting. Knowing how to use technology, how to set up a background and lighting for optimal viewing, and having strategies for making interpreting happen smoothly on various virtual platforms is essential. The Center for Atypical Language Interpreting offers many resources that will prepare you to work with individuals from a variety of language backgrounds. There are many Deaf individuals obtaining advanced degrees and working in high level positions. Knowing how to behave with the utmost professionalism in a multitude of work settings and having strong academic language skills in both American Sign Language and English are important in working with these individuals.

What type of skills will young staff interpreters need?

Katty KauffmanKatty Kauffman LinkedIn profile

US-based Freelance Interpreter, member of AIIC, representative of the VEGA Outreach and Mentoring Network, International Association of Conference Interpreters

Interpreters need a range of skills, which fall roughly into three categories:
- Skills covered by your university program. These include technical skills in Simultaneous Interpreting, Consecutive Interpreting and Sight Translation, as well as professional ethics. Ethics are increasingly important at the moment when, because of Covid-related health restrictions, many of us are, unfortunately, having to work without a boothmate until normality returns, and still need to maintain a high level of trust with agencies and clients.
- Skills you may not have covered in school, which are vital as a freelancer. You need soft skills to help you network and engage with potential clients. Applying for pre-candidacy and subsequently joining AIIC as a full member can also raise your visibility within the industry.
An understanding of how to run your own business is also essential. Know what contract you are being offered, how to write an invoice, and which tax structure is best for you. If you are planning on working for yourself, be aware of what is happening with the PRO Act (H.R.2474) and the consequences it may have for freelance workers.
-Technical skills. On the business side, you are creating your own brand, so nowadays, you need a website and a social media presence. Understanding the workings of various RSI platforms and the equipment you need is also fundamental.

List of staff interpreter skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a staff interpreter resume and required skills for a staff interpreter to have include:

  • ASL
  • Mental Health
  • Interpretation Services
  • Sign Language
  • LEP
  • Social Services
  • IEP
  • K-12
  • Professional Development

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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