Translation & Interpretation

About the Translation and Interpretation Program Services TIPS

A program implemented by Immigrant Services-Guelph Wellington, TIPS is designed to provide standardized translation and interpretation services to Guelph and Wellington.

We have introduced quality training supports building upon language interpreter standards in Ontario. TIPS ensures that a roster of trained and qualified translators and interpreters are available to community members and service providers.

The program started in April 2010 and will be funded for three years by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, after which time it is hoped that the program will be self sustainable.

Why are Translation and Interpretation services needed?

Guelph and Wellington County are becoming increasingly diverse. This diversity is visible in the streets of our neighborhoods, as well as formal venues such as workplaces, social services, hospitals, nursing homes, factories and corporations. You see this diversity in your clients if you work in social services, in your labor force if you run a corporation, or in your customers, if you run a small business.  Communication with your clients, your workforce, and your customers is key to quality service delivery. It is especially important when economic and population growth is partially attributed to the immigrant population.

Ethical Principles

What are TIPS Priorities?

• Support organizations in meeting their diverse linguistic needs;
• Provide on-going support to New Canadians who need interpretation and document translation;
• Consult with agencies to identify their translation and interpretation needs;
• Assess translators and interpreters qualifications in comparison to the provincial and National standards;
• Provide training supports for working language interpreters and those community members who wish to become language interpreters and pursue certification;
• Provide training supports to community and service providers working with interpreters.

What does TIPS do?

• TIPS utilizes skilled community members in language interpretation and translation to meet local interpretation and translation needs.
• TIPS utilizes the knowledge and experience of the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration provincially approved training and curriculum to support the standardization of Language Interpretation services.
• TIPS provides ILSAT testing, which is a dual-language, print and recorded audio test that measures sight translation and interpreting ability.
• TIPS researches trends and issues around best practices in Translation and Interpretation in order to provide an effective delivery model.