Maine Revised Statutes
Chapter 22: AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS
32 §1521. Definitions

§1521. Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [PL 1997, c. 749, §3 (NEW).]
1. Commissioner.
[PL 2019, c. 284, §3 (RP).]
1-A. Deaf interpreter. "Deaf interpreter" means a person whose sense of hearing is nonfunctional for the purpose of communication, whose primary means of communication is visual or tactile and who provides intermediary interpreting.
[PL 1999, c. 399, §3 (NEW); PL 1999, c. 399, §20 (AFF).]
1-B. Accredited. "Accredited" means an educational institution that is approved by the United States Department of Education or a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education.
[PL 2019, c. 284, §4 (NEW).]
1-C. American Sign Language proficiency interview. "American Sign Language proficiency interview" means a holistic language evaluation that is used to determine global American Sign Language proficiency and that is administered by an educational testing service organization and evaluated by an American Sign Language evaluation service organization recognized by the director.
[PL 2019, c. 284, §4 (NEW).]
1-D. Conditional license. "Conditional license" means a license granted to an applicant who has met the requirements of section 1524‑C but who is not certified with the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. or a comparable or successor organization recognized by the director.
[PL 2021, c. 48, §1 (AMD).]
2. Deaf person. "Deaf person" means a person whose sense of hearing is nonfunctional for the purpose of communication and whose primary means of communication is visual or tactile.
[PL 1999, c. 399, §4 (AMD); PL 1999, c. 399, §20 (AFF).]
3. Department. "Department" means the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation.
[PL 1997, c. 749, §3 (NEW).]
3-A. Director. "Director" means the Director of the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation within the department.
[PL 2019, c. 284, §5 (NEW).]
4. Hard-of-hearing person. "Hard-of-hearing person" means a person who has a functional hearing deficit, who may or may not primarily use visual communication and who may or may not use assistive devices.
[PL 1997, c. 749, §3 (NEW).]
5. Interpreting. "Interpreting" means the process when a linguistic intermediary between a deaf or hard-of-hearing person and another person translates the spoken utterances or signs, gestures or writing of either person into a linguistic form other than that which that person uses as a primary and preferred form of communication. For the purposes of this chapter, "interpreting" or "transliterating" does not mean communication using cued speech.
[PL 1999, c. 399, §5 (AMD); PL 1999, c. 399, §20 (AFF).]
6. Interpreter. "Interpreter" means a person who provides any of the following services:
A. [PL 2019, c. 284, §6 (RP).]
B. American Sign Language-based interpreting, which is the process of conveying information between American Sign Language and English; or [PL 1997, c. 749, §3 (NEW).]
C. Intermediary interpreting, which means interpreting services rendered by a deaf interpreter to facilitate communication between another deaf person and another licensed interpreter or between 2 or more deaf persons. [PL 1999, c. 399, §6 (AMD); PL 1999, c. 399, §20 (AFF).]
[PL 2019, c. 284, §6 (AMD).]
7. National interpreter certification knowledge exam.
[PL 2021, c. 48, §2 (RP).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 1997, c. 749, §3 (NEW). PL 1999, c. 399, §§3-6 (AMD). PL 1999, c. 399, §20 (AFF). PL 2019, c. 284, §§3-7 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 48, §§1, 2 (AMD).