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Translation and Interpretation

Interpretation services are available for newcomers who are not proficient in Canada’s official languages. Many organizations and institutions in Hamilton provide interpretation services for their clients. There are also certified translation services available to help newcomers get documents translated, including legal, immigration or educational documents (usually for a fee).

Programs

Bell Relay Service

Bell Canada Accessibility Services Centre
1-800-855-0511 (Voice to TTY), 1-800-855-1155 (TTY to TTY), 1-866-310-2355 (ask for Accessibility Services Centre), 711 (TTY to Voice), accessible@bell.ca

Supports communication by phone between hearing people and people who are deaf, deafened, or hard of hearing, or people with speech disabilities. Professionally-trained operators act as intermediaries to facilitate the call. Calls are confidential and no record of conversation content is retained.

Braille and Literacy Programs

CNIB Foundation
1-800-563-2642
565 Sanatorium Rd, Hamilton, ON L9C 7N4, Canada

Provides resources, services, and courses to help blind and visually impaired individuals learn to read braille and improve their literacy skills. Also offers braille transcription services.

Contact for specific courses and services offered in your area.

Canadian Hearing Services Interpreting and Communication Assistance Services

Canadian Hearing Services
1-866-518-0000, 1-877-215-9530, info@chs.ca
50 Dundurn St S, Hamilton, ON L8P, Canada

Offers a range of services that support effective communication for the Deaf and hard of hearing community.

Services include:

  • Interpreting Services - on site or video remote sign language interpreters
  • Captioning Services - turn spoken work into text
  • Communication Devices - a range of technologies designed to improve communication
  • Deafblind Services - intervenors who provide the visual and auditory information necessary to communicate with Deafblind individuals

Columbian Refugees Association

163 Centennial Pkwy N, Hamilton, ON L8E 1H8, Canada

Offers a variety of services to assist asylum seekers and people without immigrant protection through the integration and settlement processes in Canadian society.

Services include:

  • immigration and legal referrals
  • settlement services
  • translation and interpretation services
  • trauma counseling support
  • referral to community resources
  • social events
  • volunteer opportunites

Cross Cultural Healthcare Program

Hamilton Urban Core Community Health Centre
181 Main St W, Hamilton, ON L8P 4Y4, Canada

The Cross Cultural Healthcare Program serves as a bridge between individuals and communities, and health and social services to ensure full access to quality care or services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate.

Services include cultural and interpretation from interpreters specifically trained in health and health related issues. 

The Program also engages in training and education and provides information relating to cultural competency and building cultural knowledge for service providing agencies.

Intervenor Services

CNIB Deafblind Community Services
1-855-862-5999 (Emergency Intervenor Services), 1-855-862-6001 (Emergency Intervenor Services), 905-688-0022 ext. 5333, tammy.taylor@deafblindservices.ca
565 Sanatorium Rd, Hamilton, ON L9C 7N4, Canada

Provides Deafblind individuals with accurate information in an appropriate manner to enable them to make choices, plan future actions, communicate successfully, navigate their environment, and achieve as much independence as possible.

Services include:

  • communications to access services (ex. bank, shopping) or participate in the community (ex. library, community group)
  • accessing and sharing accurate information during meetings such as medical appointments or meeting with a lawyer
  • learning how to use community services such as public transportation
  • conducting daily activities

Intervenors are also available 24/7 to assist Deafblind persons in emergency situations.

Language Interpretation by InCommunities

InCommunities
905-682-1900 (218), interpreters@incommunities.ca
235 Martindale Rd, St. Catharines, ON L2N 3V7, Canada

Provides spoken-language interpretation services to reduce language barriers between service providers and their clients in the Niagara Region and the City of Hamilton. Interpretation services allow service providers working in a social service setting and their clients to communicate accurately and confidentially with each other through skilled, trained interpreters.  

Funded interpretation is available for service providers working with clients who are victims of domestic or sexual violence including those who have been sexually exploited through human trafficking.

Languages available include: Amharic, Albanian, Arabic, Azeri, Bulgarian, Cantonese, Creole, Croatian, Czech, Dari, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Khmer, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Kurdish (Sorani), Lao, Luganda, Mandarin, Malayalam, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Tigrigna, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.  Other languages may be available.

Wesley Interpretation and Translation Services

Wesley
905-975-0623 ext. 302, interpretation.services@wesley.ca
52 Catharine St N, Hamilton, ON L8R 1J1, Canada

This social enterprise service works with locally licensed and unlicensed translators and interpreters. It matches clients with professionals to assist with appointments and with accessing community resources.