NWT Legislative Assembly seeking new Indigenous interpreters

The Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories is taking applications for new Indigenous language interpreters.

These applications will be processed through the Interpreter Career Pathway Program, which is designed specifically to support Indigenous language interpretation at the Assembly, which in turn allows the political matters of the NWT to be accessible to all of its residents.

Participants in the program will receive on-the-job training, combined with online learning tools, and tutoring from seasoned Interpreters, all while being paid throughout their training. The training program itself is being developed with help by the Assembly’s current Interpreters, who are looking to focus on trainer-trainee relationships and the development of practical and theoretical knowledge.

This training program will be running from May until March of 2027, with one trainee being selected for one of eight official Indigenous languages:

1. Dene Kǝdǝ́(North Slavey)
2. Dëne Sųłıné (Chipewyan)
3. Dene Zhatıé (South Slavey)
4. Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik (Gwich’in)
5. Inuinnaqtun
6. Inuktitut
7. Inuvialuktun
8. Tłı̨cho

For the purposes of this program, “fluent” means being able to comfortably carry on a conversation in the language by listening and responding with ease. It does not need to be a person’s first language, nor does it need to be spoken perfectly.

The GNWT and Legislative Assembly recognize that many Indigenous language speakers are still on their language learning journey, and that fluency can be defined differently from person to person. Individuals who may not self-identify as “fluent,” but who can comfortably hold a conversation, should consider themselves eligible under this definition.

The application forms for this program can be found on the Education, Culture, and Employment page on the GNWT website.