TIP Volunteers are bilingual or multilingual students who provide free translation and interpretation services to the community.

Address language barriers in the community by providing a needed service.

Apply your language skills and cultural knowledge.

Contribute to the local community and make a tangible impact.

Steps to Becoming a TIP Volunteer

1. Attend one Volunteer Training Session (VTS)

Attend one Volunteer Training Session (VTS). We hold four sessions throughout each semester. Fall 2025 dates are:

  • February 4, March 2, March 25, April 16
  • Stimson Hall G27, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
  • In this 90 minute training session, we will go over the basics of translation and interpretation (conduct, confidentiality, cultural frameworks), the history of the program, and what your involvement will entail.

2. Take the translation and/or interpretation exam with one of our partnering Cornell faculty members.

3. After you pass, fill out onboarding forms and volunteer availability.

Congratulations, you are now a TIP volunteer! You will be added to the volunteer database and can start receiving requests and working on cases that meet community needs.

Current High-Need Languages

  • Arabic, Turkish, Haitian Creole
  • We welcome and value students of all languages, whether it is a common language or a smaller rare one. We receive a wide range of requests and always seek to maintain a large and diverse volunteer base to improve our readiness and capacity to handle cases.

Featured Volunteers

"As someone who knows English as a second language, I am very aware of the language barriers that can make life so difficult for someone who may not know English at all. As a TIP volunteer, I can put my multilingual skills to good use and do my small part in making English content accessible for Spanish speakers in the community."

Clara Alcolea Vila '27 
Biological Sciences, CALS

Hometown: Pamplona, Spain & Rhode Island

Volunteer for Spanish

"Growing up in a community with many immigrants, I saw firsthand how language barriers can prevent people from accessing resources and opportunities. I joined TIP to help bridge that divide."

Jonathan Tang, 
J.D. Candidate 2028, Cornell Law

Hometown: Vancouver, Canada

Volunteer for Mandarin Chinese

"I joined TIP to give back to the Ithaca community by utilizing my native language, Spanish, to help local members access critical services and resources. It has been very rewarding to support many different organizations and make a difference for those in need."

Natalia Perez Martin '27 
Hotel Administration

Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Volunteer for Spanish

"TIP has been a critical source of support as our program reaches out to more Hispanic, non-English speaking farm workers and farm owners throughout NYS. It is important for our program to support all farmers throughout NYS and TIP has been an important partner in helping us translate our program marketing and support materials."

Lea Seo '26

Volunteer for Korean