Meet Tiffany Hill | Certified Sign Language Interpreter. Founder of First Choice Interpreting Service, LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tiffany Hill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tiffany, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have been a professional, credentialed American Sign Language Interpreter for over 18 years. I established my company back in 2008. I always handled small requests for services here and there and had a few local events I supported, but my main focus was just on providing my services as a free lance interpreter. Fast forward to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of diverse access in my field became even more exposed. I continued to see lots of gaps and inequities in the field as an Interpreter of Color and I wanted to create a space where I could foster, encourage, support, and work alongside those who are like me – those who haven’t traditionally been given the opportunity to grow their skillset with the same flexibility and freedom as their non-Black and Brown counterparts. I also wanted to really address the concept of equity and what that looks like when a working practitioner is also in the driver’s seat, and how this can greatly improve the provision of services to the community.

What should our readers know about your business?
As a Black woman and Interpreter, I never saw business owners in my field that looked like me, even though those to whom we provided services are very diverse. As a woman of Color, and now small business owner, I know how important diversity and representation are and how this can be crucial to the delivery of effective communication. I wanted to see a space where Black and Brown Interpreters were not just seen for “culturally specific” requests, rather seen at all times, because we are qualified to do the work.

In business, you are forever learning, developing, and analyzing your practices to improve in any way you can. You are reimagining ways to approach the how and why of what you do and trying to implement best practices to better professionalize your work. This is a constant challenge. Every request is different. Every client and consumer’s needs are different. Expectations vary from request to request. I have learned to be flexible, patient, understanding, and more than anything – human.

My brand’s focus is on recognizing the human factor of being a service provider, to be intentional in how I handle language access requests to meet the needs of all the parties involved, and to strive to always be equitable in my business practices.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
So, being born and bred in the Washington, D.C. area and only in Atlanta for the last 2 years, I’m sure my list would be very different than someone who’s been here for a much longer time. Also, I am an outdoors girl, so a lot of my fun will be had on hiking trails.

A week long itinerary for me with a visiting friend would consist of walks or bike rides along the Beltline, stopping at restaurants and breweries along the way. A drive up to Tallulah Falls as a day hiking trip, or Sweet Water Creek State Park after which we’d grab a pie from Fellini’s Pizza. The next day we’d head on a visit to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens to check out the latest installation and at end the day we’d wrap up with a meal at Mushi Ni and maybe an ice cream from Jenni’s. Then the last couple of days might be spent driving to the coast through Savannah to Tybee Island and grab a little R&R before returning to the city.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The Deaf Community will always be my forever “shout out”. Since I was a little girl, I have always felt a part of the community and they have shared their language and culture with me for over 30 years and continue to do so, trusting me to provide equitable access for their needs. But as always, there are special groups and individuals that are crucial to your journey and growth. For me, this has always been a group of peer mentors who, till this day, are still my go-to for support, camaraderie, professional development, and cheerleading. This was a peer mentor group coined True-Biz, made up of Black Female Professionals with the goal of disrupting the status quo by advancing our skillset in a space in which we were far and few between. I also found a home in NAOBI-DC (the National Alliance of Black Interpreters, D.C. Chapter) focusing on the expansion and development of Black Interpreters. A special thanks to Dr. Pam Collins, Nicole Shambourger, Pamela Cancel, and Dr. Folami Ford for always pushing us to greater heights and for inspiring the incoming generations of interpreters who look like us.

Website: www.firstchoiceinterpreting.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coolaidgrape/

Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/coolaidgr8pe

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/tiffanythill

Other: https://linktr.ee/TiffanyTHill