American Sign Language; ASL) Interpreter

Employment Type:

Independent Contractor, 1099

Status:
Contingent on Contract Award

Location:

Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and other sites within a 45-mile radius

BSI is building a roster of certified American Sign Language interpreters to support the Defense Logistics Agency Headquarters Complex Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Office. This role is contingent on BSI's award of Solicitation SP4705-26-Q-7321 and will begin only after that award. Interpreters on this roster will accept ad hoc assignments and provide sign language interpreting for Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees, applicants, and visitors at the Defense Logistics Agency Headquarters Complex and its tenant organizations.

An interpreter joins a request. A request has a time, a place, and a consumer. The interpreter who accepts the request must show up prepared to meet all three.

• Accept and fulfill ad hoc interpreting requests submitted by the Contracting Officer's Representative or the Scheduling Coordinator, with a minimum of five business days' notice in most cases.
• Report to Scheduling Coordinator before each assignment.
• Provide expressive interpreting and transliteration from spoken English to American Sign Language, and voice interpreting from American Sign Language to spoken English, in the mode requested by the consumer, including Conceptually Accurate Signed English, Pidgin Signed English, and Signed Exact English.
• Interpret for meetings, trainings, and events held onsite, offsite within the National Capital Region, or, when a contingency working environment is in effect, through an approved virtual platform.
• Check in with the Contracting Officer's Representative or Scheduling Coordinator if an assignment ends early, to confirm release or accept reassignment within the same time block.
• For general audience events, contact the Scheduling Coordinator fifteen minutes after the event begins if no Deaf or Hard of Hearing consumers are present.
• Interpret recorded or live-streamed events as assigned, regardless of whether a Deaf or Hard of Hearing consumer is present in the room.
• Follow all badging and escort procedures at the security desk and remain escorted at all times while on the installation.
• Complete required annual training, including Cyber Awareness and Personally Identifiable Information training, if issued a Common Access Card.
• Follow the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Code of Professional Conduct on every assignment.

• An active certification from one of the following bodies, at the level shown:
  • Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf:
    National Interpreter Certification at any level, including National Interpreter Certification Advanced or National Interpreter Certification Master, or Certificate of Interpretation and Certificate of Transliteration.
  • National Association of the Deaf:
    Level III (Generalist), Level IV (Advanced), or Level V (Master).
• A valid, government-issued photo identification
• The ability to pass a security screening through the Defense Logistics Agency Personnel Security Office when a Common Access Card or Defense Biometric Identification System credential is required.
• The ability to obtain a Secret Clearance for select assignments, when requested.
• Reliable transportation within the 45-mile commuting radius of Fort Belvoir, VA

• Prior interpreting experience in a federal, defense, or other government setting.
• Strong voicing skills for assignments that require American Sign Language to spoken English interpretation.
• Experience interpreting technical or policy-heavy content, given the nature of the Defense Logistics Agency's work.

• Assignments are ad hoc and vary in frequency, length, and location.
• Two interpreters are typically assigned to assignments lasting one hour or longer, due to the technical demands of the environment. One interpreter may be assigned for non-technical meetings or when teamed with Defense Logistics Agency staff.
• Interpreters may decline a request made with less than 48 hours' notice.
• Payment follows the rate schedule set in BSI's awarded contract, with a minimum billing of two hours per assignment.
• No interpreting services are scheduled on recognized federal holidays or during federal government closures.

BSI pays a competitive hourly rate consistent with the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area interpreting market. Exact rates will be confirmed upon contract award and finalized in the independent contractor agreement.

BSI provides language access and interpreting services to federal agencies. BSI's teams draw on certified interpreters, established scheduling systems, and direct experience supporting government offices with the documentation and security procedures federal work requires.