SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Last year, the Sorenson Communications Interpreter Education and Professional Development (IEPD) department pivoted from offering traditional, in-person trainings to sign language interpreters to, instead, providing remote, instructor-led programs. The trainings provide continuing education units (CEUs), which are required for sign language interpreters to maintain professional credentialing.

“Sorenson is committed to ensuring interpreters have the tools and resources they need to deliver the best interpreting experiences for our customers,” notes Scott Wood, CEO of Sorenson Communications, the leading provider of communication solutions for people who are Deaf. “Despite the challenges, last year was unmatched in terms of phenomenal interpreter-training accomplishments!”

Sorenson interpreters participated remotely by attending trainings about more than 100 topics related to improving interpreting skills, self-care, social justice, and the impacts of power and privilege in their work. Interpreters chose from more than 1,000 eLearning, educational webinars, small group language, and interpreting mentoring opportunities.

Sorenson’s focus on education is both internal and community-based. Sorenson partners with more than 80 interpreter education programs (IEPs) that provide interpreting students with an introduction to becoming an interpreter as well as the opportunity to discuss the work of interpreting with professionals prior to graduation. While many college programs were limited in 2020 because of the pandemic, Sorenson’s Synergy Program stepped in to close the gap by providing over 1,500 hours of webinars, mentoring sessions, and remote practicum observations to more than 500 interpreting students!

Sorenson provided a “conference replacement” for more than 100 heritage language users who are bilingual children of one or more signing Deaf parents. Also known as Codas, the participants received more than 2,000 hours of instruction that supported their work and unique learning approaches.

In addition, Sorenson adapted an in-person training to a remote month-long course for advancing Deaf interpreters through Sorenson’s Deaf Interpreter Academy (DIA). The five-week remote course offered more than 28 workshops and mock interpreting experiences to over 50 Deaf interpreters. DIA’s goal is to raise awareness and share best practices for working with Deaf interpreters.

“The lessons learned in 2020 will drive us forward in 2021! Our goal is to continue to be the leader in delivering top-quality interpreting to our relay and community consumers. We do that by providing interpreters educational opportunities to continue their life-long learning,” notes Stephanie Criner, executive director of Sorenson’s IEPD team.

About Sorenson Communications, LLC
Connecting Life. Sorenson Communications (www.sorenson.com) was founded on the principle that communication and being understood is fundamental to the human experience. Inspired by this belief and the core values of our communities, we develop the most trusted communication offerings, including Sorenson Relay, the highest-quality video interpreting service, and Sorenson Interpreting, which matches qualified sign language interpreters to specific assignment needs. As the largest private employer of Deaf people and sign language interpreters, Sorenson endeavors to provide each customer with an exceptional communication experience.

Sorenson offers innovative, Deaf-specific communication products, such as ntouch^® videophones and ntouch software applications that connect PC, Mac^®, and mobile device users to Sorenson Relay. For more information, visit www.sorenson.com.

Disclaimer
If you choose Sorenson as your default provider, you can port your existing 10-digit number to Sorenson from another provider or Sorenson can provide you with one for the geographic area where you live or work. If you later change your default provider, you can port your number to that provider. When selecting Sorenson, you must provide to Sorenson the physical address (i.e., the Registered Location) from which you are placing the call, so that Sorenson can properly route any 911 calls you may make. If you move or change your location, you must notify Sorenson immediately. You can update your Registered Location from your Sorenson videophone by calling 800-659-4810 or by visiting www.svrs.com/moving. Sorenson will confirm receipt of your Registered Location information. Emergency calls made via internet-based TRS may not function the same as traditional E911 service. For example, you may not be able to dial 911 if there is an internet-service failure or if you lose electrical power, and your 911 call may not be routed correctly if you have not updated your Registered Location. For more information on the process of obtaining 10-digit numbers and the limitations and risks associated with using Sorenson’s VRS to place a 911 call, please visit Sorenson’s website: www.sorenson.com/disclaimer. For information on toll-free numbering, please visit www.svrs.com/tollfree.

Press Contact
Ann Bardsley
Sorenson Communications
801-287-9400
abardsley@sorenson.com