Certified Deaf Interpreters: What They Do and When to Book One

Most people picture one ASL interpreter standing next to a speaker. For many conversations, that is enough. For others, the person who makes communication work is a second interpreter who is Deaf. A Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) is often the difference between a Deaf person being present and a Deaf person actually understanding.

What a CDI does

A Certified Deaf Interpreter is a Deaf professional, certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), who works as a team with a hearing ASL interpreter. Before the session, the CDI meets the Deaf participant to learn how they communicate. During it, the hearing interpreter conveys the spoken message in ASL, and the CDI shapes it into the signing that person understands best, then works the other way for the Deaf person’s answers.

A CDI brings what a hearing interpreter, however skilled, usually cannot: a native command of ASL and the lived experience of Deaf communication, including gesture, mime, drawings, and regional or home signs.

When to book a CDI

Book a CDI team when any of these apply:

• The person uses a regional, nonstandard, or foreign sign language, or signs learned at home rather than standard ASL.
• The person has limited language skills, for example because of late access to language, a disability, or a brain injury.
• The person is a child, or is older and uses older or regional signs.
• The stakes are high. Medical consent, diagnosis, and discharge; legal interviews and depositions; disciplinary or termination meetings; and anything where a misunderstanding would cause harm.
• The situation is emotionally difficult or traumatic, such as crisis care, a death in the family, or victim interviews.
• The person is DeafBlind, where a Deaf interpreter may also provide Pro-Tactile or tactile communication.
• Communication with one interpreter is not working. If the Deaf person or the interpreter says they are not connecting, add a CDI rather than pressing on.

Does a CDI replace the hearing interpreter?

No. A CDI and a hearing interpreter work together; each covers a different part of the message’s path. Plan for both on the request, the schedule, and the budget, and allow time before the session for the CDI to meet the Deaf participant.

How to request one

When you book, describe the setting and what you know about how the Deaf participant communicates. If you are not sure, say so: an experienced scheduler will ask the right questions, and the hearing interpreter can recommend adding a CDI after meeting the person. In medical and legal settings, decide early; adding a CDI after a misunderstanding costs more than booking one up front.

Where CDIs make the difference: federal agencies

Federal agencies book CDI teams for the same reasons any organization should: high stakes, and Deaf employees and members of the public who deserve to understand every word. Translation Excellence has provided Certified Deaf Interpreter services to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), NASA, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), among other agencies. Read how we support the IRS, NRC, and FDA in our case studies.

Certified Deaf Interpreters in Denver and Colorado

Translation Excellence, headquartered in Aurora, schedules Certified Deaf Interpreter teams, DeafBlind interpreters, and certified ASL interpreters in Denver and across Colorado, and nationwide. Our scheduling desk, staffed in part by Deaf and CODA schedulers, matches the interpreter team to the person, not just the event. Request ASL and CDI interpreting in Denver.