Contact details

Name association: Finnish Association of Sign Language Interpreting

Name president: Ms. Liisa Halkosaari
Address: Maistraatinportti 4 A, 00240 Helsinki, Finland

Phone: +35 8 40 730 3755
E-mail: finland@tulkit.net
www.tulkit.net

SVT 1982-2008

The Finnish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (Suomen Viittomakielen Tulkit ry (SVT) is a national organization for aproximatedly 510 Finnish Sign Language interpreters. SVT was founded in 1982 and it has been a member of the European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters EFSLI since 1993 and a member of WASLI since 2004. SVT is part of Akava Special Branches. Akava special Branches with it's 22 independent affiliates is a member of AKAVA (the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals).

www.tulkit.net

International affairs:
Email: finland(@)tulkit.net
SVT: 358 40 7303755
SVT board: board2010(@)tulkit.net
Welcome to our webpages in English:
www.tulkit.net.

Country Report 2011

Facts About Finland

General Population: approx. 5 351 000 (in 2011)
Total Area: 338 000km
How many Deaf people: approx. 5000 Deaf, Sign Language users (about 0,15% of the population)
Official spoken languages: Finnish, Swedish
Minority languages: Finnish Sign Language, Sami, Romani
Sign Language Interpreters: The number of educated Sign Language interpreters is approximately 650 (active Sign Language interpreters 450, full-time interpreters 200-250). Every year there are about 50 new graduates.
The Finnish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (SVT) was established in 1982. There are 503 members in SVT. Full members 380, student members 123. 96 support members. SVT has been member of efsli since 1993 and a member of wasli since 2004. 2006 SVT switched a labour union to Akava Special Branches (the Confederation of Unions for Academic Professionals in Finland).

Details of Interpreter Training

The Sign Language Interpreter Degree Programme consists of 240 ECTS, 3,5 years full time studying.
Humak University of Applied Sciences: Campuses in Helsinki and Kuopio. (www.humak.edu/english)
Diaconia University of Applied Sciences: Campus in Turku. (http://www.turku.diak.fi/ in_english)
In addition the Bachelor degree programmes we have two postgraduate Master degree programmes: national and international. The national Master´s degree programme takes 1,5 years and is jointly run by Diak and Humak. The European master of degree programme is called EUMASLI and is jointly run by Humak University of Applied Sciences (FIN), Heriot-Watt University (UK) and Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal (GER). The programme takes 2,5 years.
Future educational scenarios
In Finland there have been plans about a new curriculum in which all students would not graduate as sign language interpreters. Instead students would concentrate on more specific areas and would graduate either as a sign language interpreter, a signed speech interpreter, speech-to-text interpreter or interpreter for persons with speech disabilities. These are only plans and nothing has been decided yet. The field of sign language interpreting is changing as the number of deaf children with cochlear implants is increasing. Also the market for sign language interpretation in working life and international situations is expanding. That is why educational changes are needed so newly graduated interpreters can response to the needs of the clients. Whatever changes will be included in the new curriculum it will be introduced in 2013.
SVT is cooperating with universities in this reform. SVT`s purpose is to ensure that the language and interpreting skills of new interpreters are high quality and suitable from an employment point of view (enough work for all full-time interpreters). More cooperation between students and the working world should also be considered.
Details of Interpreter Testing/Assessment
Interpreting students are in general tested at the end of each course. Courses vary in the amount of work required from the student from five to one ECTS. In addition to this constant assessment at the end of each course the students need to pass their final exams in order to graduate as interpreters. In the final exams the interpreter students are tested for example in professional ethics, professional knowledge, language skills and interpreting skills in settings where either FinSL-Finnish and Finnish-FinSL skills are required.

Details of Interpreter Accreditation/Certification

So far there is no official, nationwide interpreter certification system. Upon graduation trained interpreters join an informal register maintained jointly by non-profit organizations. Once a person is in the register she/he is free to work as an interpreter. This current register is not officially monitored by anyone and there no account is taken of individual interpreters´ skills and work experience.
A future goal is to provide a contrywide register for all interpreters. The biggest unsolved problem at the moment is; which body (authority) should maintain the register. Other important facts that need to be considered are the assessment tools, how and how often interpreters update their skills and will there be a different register for sign language interpreters, signed speech interpreters, speech-to-text interpreters and sign language teachers.

Important achievements

  • The new law dealing with interpreting services for persons with disabilities which came into effect 19.2.2010
  • The new nationwide structure for providing interpreting services, operational since 1.9.2010 which presents a clear model for the provision of interpreting services in terms of provider (The Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Kela), producers (employers), interpreters (employees) and client statuses. Each party now knows what their rights and responsibilities are.
  • Two collective agreements for Finnish SL interpreters by Viparo 8.12.2010 and Via Sign Language Cooperative, A new National collective agreement which came into effect 1.2.2010
  • Organizing a Nordic Seminar in Turku in 2010. The theme was ”Recode your Ethics”.

Goals for the future

  • Improvement of the new interpreter relay system and practices to ensure smooth cooperation between all parties. Making sure that there is no decline in the quality of interpretation services due to the new service provision system.
  • Challenges arising because of the new system: deaf people can not directly chooce an interpreter: an interpreter´s special skills may go wasted if the relay service doesn´t work properly. Also feedback between interpreters working in different companies.
  • SVT´s 30th anniversary in 2012; planning a nationwide training/celebration campaign for all interpreters
  • The stregthening and harmonization of the practices of police and legal interpreting here in Finland. Becoming an associate member of EULITA in 2011 with a view to full membrship at a later date.

Kati Kekkonen
Finnish Association of Sign Language Interpreters
National Contact Person