When Suhai Boyer graduates this spring from Riverland College, she will be among the first outstate students to earn an associate’s degree in translating and interpreting through a program offered jointly by Riverland Community College and Century College in White Bear Lake, Minn.

The “TRIN” program has been offered since 2010 through interactive television classes, where students take classes in specially equipped Riverland classrooms and are able to interact with their teachers and colleagues at the Century College in White Bear Lake.

The number and types of classes have evolved over the years. On Tuesday, Century and Riverland are offering information sessions at noon and 1 p.m. at the Austin Riverland campus to discuss the program, which offers training that meets the needs of seasoned interpreters as well as those who are bilingual but have no interpreting experience.

Boyer, who was already doing some interpreting work when she began taking classes at Century, says the training has paid off.

“The TRIN program prepared me as a professional and as a person,” she said. “It increased my chances of finding a job in this field. It has opened more doors for me in terms of having a successful career in translating and interpreting.”