Building Tennessee’s Interpreter Workforce

Fund TLC Interpreter Programs

Every day in Tennessee, a patient walks into an emergency room, or a defendant stands before a judge, unable to fully understand or be understood because they don’t speak the language. In those moments, this language gap isn’t simply an inconvenience - for families with limited English proficiency, it's a barrier to justice, to safe medical care, and to basic accessibility. Trained interpreters make sure every person has a voice when it matters most.

For nearly 40 years, the Tennessee Language Center (TLC), part of the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service since 2018, has worked to close that gap. TLC trains interpreters and prepares them for certification with the specialized ethics, terminology, and protocols this high-stakes work demands.

Your gift's impact:

• $15 funds one hour of medical interpreter training
• $25 funds one hour of court interpreter workshop instruction
• $40 funds one hour of simultaneous interpreter boot camp training

Give monthly for greater impact:

• $325 ($27/month) funds a complete court interpreter workshop scholarship
• $800 ($67/month) funds a complete simultaneous interpreter boot camp scholarship
• $975 ($81.25/month) funds a complete medical interpreter training course scholarship

Every interpreter trained by TLC goes on to serve hundreds of Tennesseans a year.

One scholarship doesn't just change a career. It changes outcomes for an entire community, for years to come.

Whether you give $15 once or $975 annually, your gift moves Tennessee closer to a state where language is never the reason someone doesn't get the care or justice they deserve.