Interpreter Career Pathway Program

The Interpreter Career Pathway Program is a new pilot program that will train fluent Indigenous language speakers to become interpreters at the Northwest Territories (NT) Legislative Assembly. Indigenous language speakers can apply for the program until April 26, 2026.

The Interpreter Career Pathway Program, a joint initiative between the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and the NT Legislative Assembly, is designed to ensure highly specialized Indigenous language interpretation can continue to support proceedings of the Legislative Assembly. Interpreters play a vital role in ensuring that political matters of the government are accessible to all residents across the territory. 

Program participants will receive paid training that combines practical on-the-job experience with online learning throughout the year, and pairs participants with current seasoned Legislative Assembly interpreters. Trainees will shadow experienced interpreters in-booth during at least two live Legislative Assembly sessional proceedings and participate in simulated interpretation sessions.

Current Legislative Assembly interpreters are collaborating on developing the program curriculum, which will emphasize Trainer-Trainee relationship-building, ongoing terminology development, guidance, and on-the-job training, as well as the development of both practical skills and theoretical knowledge essential for this unique and specialized field.

Throughout the program, fluent Indigenous language speakers will develop the specialized skills and confidence needed to deliver simultaneous interpretation services in legislative settings. Graduates will come away equipped with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to support a career pathway interpreting at the NT Legislative Assembly, ensuring residents have continued access to proceedings in Indigenous languages. 

The pilot program will run from May 2026 to March 2027, with one applicant selected for each of the following eight official Indigenous languages:

  1. Dene Kǝdǝ́ (North Slavey)
  2. Dëne Sųłıné (Chipewyan)
  3. Dene Zhatıé (South Slavey)
  4. Dinjii Zhuʼ Ginjik (Gwich’in)
  5. Inuinnaqtun
  6. Inuktitut
  7. Inuvialuktun
  8. Tłı̨chǫ

If you are a fluent Indigenous language speaker, please apply for this opportunity. Priority will be given to advanced language speakers who are also fluent in reading and writing, although not mandatory for application. The deadline to apply is April 26, 2026.

For the purposes of this program, “fluent” means being able to comfortably carry on a conversation in the language by listening and responding with ease. It does not need to be a person’s first language, nor does it need to be spoken perfectly.

The GNWT and Legislative Assembly recognize that many Indigenous language speakers are still on their language learning journey, and that fluency can be defined differently from person to person. Individuals who may not self-identify as “fluent,” but who can comfortably hold a conversation, should consider themselves eligible under this definition.

Available funding

  • Trainees will be paid for their participation
  • Travel, accommodation, food and expenses will be covered

Deadline

The deadline to apply is April 26, 2026

Eligibility

Fluent Indigenous language speakers are encouraged to apply. Priority will be given to advanced language speakers who are fluent in reading and writing, although not mandatory for application.

How to apply

Indigenous Languages Secretariat

Department of Education, Culture and Employment

Government of the Northwest Territories

P.O. Box 1320

Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9

 

Timeline

  • April 26, 2026: application deadline
  • May 11, 2026: applicants will be contacted to be part of the program
  • May 26-27, 2026: two day In-person orientation
  • June to October 2026: on-going virtual sessions
  • October 19-23, 2026: in-person training session
  • November to December 2026: on-going virtual sessions
  • December 8-11, 2026: in-person training session
  • December 2026 to February 2027: on-going virtual sessions
  • February 8-12, 2027: in-person training session
  • February to March 2027: final virtual sessions
  • March 2027: final one-day in-person gathering (TBD) 

Quick facts

  • In adherence with the Official Languages Act and the Legislative Assembly's Reconciliation Action Plan, the Legislative Assembly has a mandate to provide its sessional proceedings and services in each of the 11 Official Languages of the Northwest Territories. 
  • Fulfilling these obligations requires a sustainable, skilled workforce, which stresses the urgency of succession planning and the need to build a new pool of trained Indigenous language interpreters.
  • Relentless Indigenous Woman Co. (RIW Co.), an Indigenous-owned consulting firm specializing in Indigenous pedagogy and curriculum development, is developing the Interpreter Career Pathway Program. RIW Co. is working closely with current Legislative Assembly interpreters, so that their knowledge and expertise directly shape and guide the curriculum.