Idaho State University Sign Language Studies & Interpreting

05/11/2026

🎉 🎓 Today is our day to celebrate the grit and commitment of these 5 emerging interpreters! After hundreds of hours of class and homework, observing interpreters, service learning, learning to CoNavigate at a DeafBlind Camp, hosting events, hands-up/eyes-up/voices-ready time, and completing internships, this group is ready to graduate! Phoebe Caringella, Brooke Hazen, Jaidyn Eller, Ariel Carter, Abby Drake

Many thanks to community partners who joined our celebration brunch to wish them well: Idaho Association of the Deaf president Timothy J Blonsky, Idaho Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf President Dawn Wells, and Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Executive Director Steven Snow.

Special thanks to Idaho RID who gifted the grads with their first year of Associate membership!

05/06/2026

How do faculty celebrate the last day of teaching? Professor Steven G Stubbs pranked students by showing , Interpreter edition.

…but not in that!

04/29/2026

How do you celebrate the last week of classes? Our juniors staged a good-hearted mutiny, showing up in pajamas as their “professional attire” for Tuesday’s Specialized Settings & Terminology classes with Professor Steven G Stubbs.

02/22/2026

Flexibility. Adaptability. Good networks. Professional Organizations. Great colleagues. Extra-linguistic knowledge (ELK).
...an excellent interpreter must have them all, and our Interpreting students synthesized these tools in an excellent event for their Immersion experience today.

When a changing budget landscape made the original plans unfeasible, we changed to leveraging Fresno State's online Silent Garden lecture series on interpreting for Deaf children, also scheduled for today. Partnering with Idaho Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Idaho Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, through the efforts of our students and faculty, we were able to host a free gathering for interpreters, interns, and students to learn "Interpreting with a Deaf Heart: Building Access in K-12 Education."

02/04/2026

Do you want to join our Sign Language Interpreting program, but need to stay in eastern Idaho? We've got you covered this year.

For this fall's juniors, we plan for a cohort of 3-5 students to join from our Pocatello campus. This distance-learning pod is the first time ISU has offered interpreting classes in eastern Idaho for more than a decade. This is being offered as a pilot project. If you've been thinking about getting that interpreting degree, now is the time!

Priority deadline is February 19. Regular deadline is March 15.

For the cohort, we are not charging a program application fee and are waiving our traditional requirement for an external ASL evaluation, saving applicants $140. Courses are taught at the Meridian campus. An on-site orientation is planned for all students to meet in Meridian, during August; final pr...

01/27/2026

Do you want to become a sign language interpreter, or know someone who does? We are looking for the next generation of interpreters! Interested candidates should have at least three semesters of ASL *or* a high level of fluency, which includes those who are Deaf, have Deaf family, and/or from minority groups. They also should have completed 45 credits before applying and/or have an Associate's degree by August.

The priority deadline is February 19 and the regular deadline is March 15. Applications received after that will be considered as space allows.

Our program is one of a few accredited programs in the US, which means the program is in compliance with the high standards for interpreters to succeed in the profession. Our graduates have been recognized for their skills and contributions to the profession.
We are committed to supporting the Deaf community by educating quality interpreters!

For the cohort, we are not charging a program application fee and are waiving our traditional requirement for an external ASL evaluation, saving applicants $140. Courses are taught at the Meridian campus. An on-site orientation is planned for all students to meet in Meridian, during August; final pr...

09/11/2025

North Idaho! Professor LaVona Andrew Carson will be at this open house in Post Falls and can answer questions you have about joining ISU and our interpreting program.

You can also meet her and leadership from CDHH and Idaho RID at Deaf Night Out tomorrow and DeafFest on Saturday!