The Canadian Freelance Union launched a sub-unit for Interpreters and Translators in 2024. The Interpreter and Translator Unit (ITU) is led by CFU members, including our elected spokespeople Mahassen Mahmoud and Joseph Caron. We support interpreters across the field – court interpreters, community interpreters, literary translators, and more – through grievance support, issuing union IDs, organizing campaigns, and more.
From our spokespeople:
- Excellence and quality in interpretation and translation
- Professionalism and integrity
- Advocacy and support for language professionals
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Collaboration and community building
Joseph Caron & Mahassen Mahmoud, CFU-ITU spokespeople, 2024
Our Campaigns Include:
Raise the Rates
Join the campaign calling on organizations that utilize the services of contract Community Interpreters to increase the hourly rate to a minimum of $45 an hour.
Community Interpreters play a critical role in Canada’s multicultural landscape by promoting inclusivity, social integration, and equal opportunity for all. Working in medical, educational, and social services settings (e.g. Schools, hospitals, health centres, doctors’ offices, government agencies, financial assistance offices, Legal Aid clinics) helping people from their community who don’t speak or are less fluent in English.
