Announcement: NCIEC Creates Marketing Brochure and Website

National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers (NCIEC)

No one can argue convincingly that the supply of interpreters is adequate to meet the demand.  Yet, until now, our field has never embarked on a concerted, organized marketing strategy to promote interpreting as a career.  Most Interpreter Education Programs simply rely on word of mouth, sending out informational brochures on request.  Few have in place a serious recruitment plan aimed at attracting, identifying, tracking, and realizing student enrollments.  The National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers (NCIEC) has taken the lead in implementing an Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) campaign aimed at increasing the number of students entering interpreting education programs. The first products of the marketing campaign – a  program-neutral brochure and a website under construction – may be seen at www.discoverinterpreting.com.

Our marketing concepts derive in part from a study of the nursing profession, whose strategies have been wildly successful in increasing gender and ethnic diversity in the nursing workforce, creating so much interest that thousands of would-be nurses have been turned away from programs due to limitations of faculty and facilities.  The National Multicultural Interpreting Project (NMIP), funded from 1995 to 2000 by the U.S. Department of Education, had produced a template for a brochure designed to attract prospective interpreters from diverse linguistic and cultural communities.  Armed with these examples as background information, the directors of the interpreting education programs in the Northeastern University Regional Interpreter Education Center region collaborated on the early outlines of a creative brief, media campaign, public relations outreach component, and impact assessment plan.  Through consultation and collaboration with faculty in the Northeastern University School of Business, a marketing class project produced yet more possible approaches to an IMC plan.  The primary thrust of the campaign is to create a fresh, positive image of interpreting and to address common misconceptions about who interpreters and consumers are, how interpreting services are provided, and what the prospects are for those who might consider professional interpreting as a career.

The brochure and website are intended for use by high school guidance counselors, ASL and Deaf Studies programs, adult education programs, and other organizations and agencies that come into contact with potential interpreters.  The brochure is designed to lead readers to the Discover Interpreting website where one finds facts about interpreting as a career, descriptions of specialty areas of interpreting, and links to interpreting education programs and other useful resources.  Programs and organizations may order brochures from the website.  Over time, we anticipate expanding the marketing effort to include useful outreach materials to increase public awareness about interpreting and a coordinated effort among interpreting education programs and local organizations to carry the campaign forward and, ultimately, to address the shortage of interpreters.

The U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration, Interpreter Training Grants, 2005-2010, funds this and all initiatives of the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers.