BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ASL and LSQ INTERPRETING SERVICE
Because we received many letters of complaints from our members about the lack of interpreting services for the Deaf community in 1991.
The MMDCC/CCSMM Board of Directors approved the foundation of the ASL and LSQ interpreting services in September 1991 and the services started on December 2nd, 1992.
SIVET (Service D'Interprétation Visuel et Tactile) (SIVET) decided to discontinue to provide the ASL interpreting service, so the health agency had to take over temporarily, until the MMDCC tackled to it on February 1, 2011.
WHAT IS A SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER?
An interpreter is a specially trained professional whose job is to convey the messages of people who do not share the same language, culture, or mode of communication. The purpose of providing an interpreter is to allow hearing, deaf and hard of hearing people equal access to information and interactions. In Canada, when Deaf and hearing people interact, most interpreters provide interpretation in spoken English and American Sign Language (ASL). In some francophone or bilingual regions in Canada, interpreters provide interpretation in French and langue des signes québécoise (LSQ). Interpreters are knowledgeable in the sign language and culture of Deaf and hard of hearing persons, and the spoken language and the norms of the (hearing) majority culture.
Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada. (2014). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved from http://www.avlic.ca/faq