Grants funding the CATIE Center have contributed to St. Catherine University emerging as a leader in ASL and interpreter education.
CATIE Center
The Collaborative for the Advancement of Teaching Interpreter Excellence (CATIE) Center at St. Catherine University is one of the five regional American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter education centers of the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers (NCIEC). CATIE serves the Midwest region, comprised of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska.
CATIE is a valuable resource to students, professionals and the Deaf community in Twin Cities and beyond. Programs include:
- ASL Immersion is a week-long program offered each summer to students who plan to become professional interpreters. Participants communicate in ASL only and engage in both classroom and real-world activities to build their conversational ASL skills.
- StoryBlend is an immersive, two week program offered each summer to pre- or newly certified ASL interpreters wishing to build a relationship with the Deaf community. Twelve interpreters work with Deaf mentors to improve their ASL articulation through discussions, games, theater and translation exercise. The workshop concludes with a collaborative performance combining the stories of the interpreters and mentors.
- Deaf Mentor Training is available to members of the Deaf community who wish to assist interpreters as they improve their skills and form relationships with the Deaf community. The training also gives mentors practical skills on setting up a mentoring business. Deaf mentors participate in the ASL Immersion program and StoryBlend.
- As a regional center sponsored by the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers, CATIE offers national interpreter certification exams. Pre-certification interpreters may take the National Interpreter Certification exam.
- Recognizing that interpreters must have a wide vocabulary, CATIE offers preparation courses and exams for legal, medical and mental health interpreting. These highly sought-after trainings give professional interpreters an edge in their field.
The CATIE Center is funded by the United States Department of Education and the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
