Interpreters of Colour Network
Welcome to Interpreters of Colour Network
Addressing the underrepresentation of people of colour in the sign language interpreting and translation profession, and offering a safe, nurturing and supportive environment for our colleagues of colour.
About IOCN
We are a vibrant international organisation with members from all over Europe. We are a large and diverse group of people, both deaf and hearing, who have come together in the fight against the systemic racism that pervades the signed language interpreting and translation profession.
Our members voted on the name Interpreters of Colour Network in the spirit of re-appropriating the derogatory term ‘coloured’ used to describe non-White people.
Our aims
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Support greater recognition of the needs of deaf people from our own communities
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Fighting for better recognition, representation and equality in the signed language interpreting and translation profession
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Challenging colonial attitudes towards race, ethnicity and culture
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Asserting the value of culture brokering and experiences of growing up in a minority culture for professional interpreting practice
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Supporting research that explores interpreting with ‘third cultures’, culture brokering, the impact of race, ethnicity and culture, and post-colonialist or deconstructionist approaches.
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Advocating for an ethnographic approach in interpreter education
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Challenging racism in the SLI profession and in society more generally
