Immigration Legal Services - Non-Attorney Roles - ILS Interpreter
About Us
The Esperanza Center is a comprehensive resource center whose mission is to welcome immigrants by offering hope, compassionate services, and the power to improve their lives. Since 1963, immigrants from all over the world have trusted the center to help them navigate life in a new country. Our dedicated staff and volunteers provide services related to education, health care, immigration legal matters, family reunification, and general community support to thousands of immigrants each year.
Immigration Legal Services (ILS) was founded in 1994 to provide low-cost legal counseling and representation in humanitarian and family-based immigration matters. As one of the largest non-profit immigration legal services providers in the state, we serve individuals from over 150 different countries who reside in Maryland or have immigration cases in Maryland. We assist clients and their family members seeking to obtain, extend, or retain lawful immigration status or citizenship in the United States.
Description
The ILS Volunteer Interpreter will facilitate communication between ILS clients and legal representatives by providing high-quality interpretation services. They may provide interpretation services to Pro-Bono Attorneys and Esperanza Center legal staff and their clients on an as needed basis, or at Esperanza Center’s legal clinics. This volunteer position provides valuable experience in legal interpretation.
Tasks
- Listen carefully to client and their legal representative
- Accurately interpret information for clients and legal representatives without additions or omissions
- Maintain client confidentiality at all times
- Log volunteer hours in volunteer database
Qualifications
- 18 years of age or older
- High proficiency in English and target language (most common language is Spanish).
- Commitment to diverse work environment
- Sign ILS Volunteer Interpreter Agreement (sent during onboarding process)
Schedule
This position does not have a set schedule. Instead, ILS Volunteer Interpreters are contacted on an as-needed basis.
**Please note that the first step in the process of becoming an ILS Volunteer Interpreter is to attend a Volunteer Information Session, which can be scheduled through the volunteer application**
Any questions? Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at VEsperanzaCenter@cc-md.org.
Qualifications Required
- How comfortable are you with speaking Spanish? (5 being most comfortable) Must be at least 5
- How comfortable do you feel speaking English? (5 being most comfortable) Must be at least 5
Mission Statement
To welcome immigrants by offering hope, compassionate services, and the power
to improve their lives.
