Sign Language Interpreting Services

Prism Language Solutions provides American Sign Language interpreters across the United States for hospitals and clinics, courts and attorneys, employers, schools and USCIS appointments, in person and by video remote interpreting. Interpreters hold RID certification (NIC) where the setting calls for it, and we add a Certified Deaf Interpreter or a tactile interpreter for DeafBlind clients when the case needs one. Businesses, hospitals and courts are required under the ADA to provide a qualified interpreter at no cost to the Deaf person, and we work for all three; scheduled ASL is confirmed in writing within the hour on business days, and on-demand video is available around the clock.

Last reviewed September 11, 2026 by Sarah J, Prism Language Solutions

ASL is a language, not English on the hands, with its own grammar and word order, and a Deaf adult who grew up signing may read written English as a second language. That is why a notepad is not an accommodation for a hospital admission or a police interview. The requests we get are from an HR manager with a Deaf employee starting Monday, a hospital scheduler whose VRI cart froze in the emergency department, a court clerk with a Deaf juror, an immigration attorney whose client needs a Deaf interpreter as well as a hearing one.

• Certified translations prepared to meet USCIS requirements
• Human linguists only, matched to the subject
• Fixed written quote within 60 minutes in business hours
• One office in New York, linguists in every state

Certified ASL Interpreter: RID Certification and What It Covers

The national credential for ASL-English interpreters is issued by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), whose exams are administered by CASLI. There are two current certifications: the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) for hearing interpreters, which tests professional knowledge, ethics and interpreting performance through a knowledge exam and a video performance exam, and the Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) for interpreters who are themselves Deaf or hard of hearing. Both require a bachelor’s degree or an approved alternative pathway, and certified interpreters are bound by the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct. RID’s legal specialist credential (SC:L) is no longer awarded, though existing holders keep it, and California lists only SC:L holders or holders of Texas BEI court certification as certified ASL court interpreters.

We assign NIC-certified interpreters to medical, legal and formal workplace settings and say so on the confirmation. For a court matter we tell you what that court requires and whether an SC:L or BEI-certified interpreter is available.

ADA Obligations to Provide a Sign Language Interpreter

The Americans with Disabilities Act puts the duty and the cost on the organization, not the Deaf person. Under Title III (28 CFR 36.303), businesses and nonprofits that serve the public, including private hospitals, medical and law offices, must furnish auxiliary aids and services where necessary for effective communication; a qualified interpreter is one who can interpret effectively, accurately and impartially, receptively and expressively. Under Title II (28 CFR 35.160), state and local governments, including every state court, must do the same and must give primary consideration to the aid the Deaf person requests. Neither may require a person to bring a family member to interpret, and neither may rely on an accompanying adult or a child except in an emergency or at the Deaf person’s own request.

ASL Interpreter in Person or by Video Remote Interpreting

Both are legitimate, and the ADA regulations set the bar for video: real-time, full-motion video over a dedicated high-speed connection, an image sharp and large enough to show the interpreter’s face, arms, hands and fingers, clear audio, and staff trained to set it up. VRI is right for a short appointment, a quick workplace conversation, a rural clinic, and the first minutes of an emergency while an on-site interpreter is on the way. It is wrong for anything long, for anyone who cannot see the screen, for children, for mental health, and for the high-stakes conversations the National Association of the Deaf’s medical VRI standards reserve for a person in the room: surgery, diagnosis, end-of-life care. The video remote interpreting page covers the equipment you need, and the on-site interpreting page covers lead time and the two-hour minimum. A phone is no use for a signed language.

Certified Deaf Interpreter and Tactile Interpreting Cases

A Certified Deaf Interpreter is a Deaf professional who works as a team with the hearing interpreter: the hearing interpreter renders the spoken English into ASL, and the CDI renders it again for a Deaf person whose language the hearing interpreter cannot reach, using native fluency, gesture, drawing and other visual tools. The cases where we add a CDI are recognizable: a Deaf person with limited or non-standard language, often someone who grew up without early access to any sign language; a Deaf immigrant who uses a foreign sign language or home signs; a person with a cognitive disability, a mental health crisis or a brain injury; a child; and legal and medical situations where a misunderstanding would be severe.

Booking a Sign Language Interpreter

Send the date, time, expected length, address, setting and subject, and anything you know about the Deaf person’s communication preferences: ASL, a more English-based signing, tactile, a preferred interpreter, or the need for a CDI. Two interpreters are needed for anything over about two hours and for any hearing or deposition, because accuracy drops after twenty to thirty minutes of continuous signing. Two to three business days is usually enough for a certified ASL interpreter in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and the other large metros; a week or more for legal-certified interpreters, CDIs, tactile work and smaller cities. On-site ASL is billed hourly with a two-hour minimum, scheduled VRI with a one-hour minimum, and on-demand VRI by the minute; guide rates are on the pricing page, and other settings are under interpreting services.

Questions we get asked