Access Services Northwest, LLC understands the importance of balancing fiscal responsibility with quality communications. Our rates and policies are designed to assure our professional American Sign Language Interpreters are paid within current market standards while assuring our clients that we also understand their budgeting constraints. For current information about our rates and policies please call (503) 447-5000 or submit a request online. One of our coordinators will be happy to answer your questions.

It is our goal to facilitate a strong and positive experience for all entities within the Deaf community. We want our Deaf Clients, Interpreters and Clients to be able to focus on their primary goal of communications excellence while we handle the logistics.

We encourage our clients to discuss preferences with the Deaf client and we always do our best to provide requested interpreters if we are aware of the preference. Our interpreter coordination team is trained to recognize the styles and skill sets within each interpreter and match the skill sets to the Deaf client as well as the situation.

Some things to consider when using our American Sign Language Interpreter placement services:

• Make your request at least one week prior to the start time and date of your need*. This will give our coordinators the best opportunity to provide the best American Sign Language Interpreter for your particular need. (*We work hard to meet all requests no matter how short the notice!)
• When an interpreter accepts an assignment they are committing themselves to that block of time and cannot accept other assignments that may conflict with that time. Our cancellation guidelines are designed to consider both the fiscal burden to our clients as well as assure our interpreters that they will be compensated appropriately.
• All communications with our agency are treated with the highest standards of confidentiality. We do not share information about our interpreters or our clients other than what is absolutely required to facilitate each request.
• When  you make a request, our coordinator will ask questions to help us determine the best solution for your needs. Please don’t hesitate to share specifics of the assignment such as special vocabularies or signing styles.
• We value feedback. Communication is the foundation of our business. Let us know when we do well or when we don’t quite meet your expectations.

 

As with any profession, certifications can assure the hiring party a certain level of competency. Although a national certification recognized by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf does not guarantee that an American Sign Language interpreter is the right match to a particular communications need, it does insure that the interpreter has agreed to specific ethical standards and practices and has been able to pass core competency exams.

In addition to looking at an interpreter’s certification, it is important to know their strengths and weaknesses in any given situation. Top level interpreters possess an extremely large vocabulary and self-monitor themselves to make sure they are able to meet both the ethical and technical  demands of the situation for which they are being asked to interpret.

It is important that an interpreter has the flexibility and life experience to meet the expectations of the environments in which they choose to work. We screen each interpreter and continue to monitor their performance and community relations throughout their relationship with us. We work hard to mentor and guide our interpreters and to learn from them also. We encourage feedback and recommendations for our Clients, our Interpreters and our Deaf Clients.

Access Services Northwest has gained a reputation within the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, WA metropolitan area for providing professional American Sign Language Interpreters for situations that require a high standard of competency and vocabulary skills in settings such as business, professional, medical, legal and post-secondary educational settings (faculty and students). In our commitment to maintaining the kind of service that has earned us this reputation, we are currently only considering freelance interpreters that fall within the following RID national certification guidelines for our team.

NIC NIC Advanced NIC Master NAD III NAD IV

NAD V SC:L CS MCSC CI

CT CI/CT CDI Pre-Certified* *Passed written

If you are a freelance interpreter and feel you meet our standards of excellence please contact us to discuss our registration and screening process.