About

Meet the Founder

Leadership grounded in lived linguistic knowledge.

Portrait of Christopher Tester, Founder, CEO & Principal Interpreter

Christopher Tester

Founder, CEO & Principal Interpreter

Ph.D., CDI, SC:L

Christopher Tester has interpreted and consulted for United Nations agencies, UNICEF, federal and state courts, universities, museums, theatres, and international organizations across 15+ countries. He founded With Direction, LLC to bring that experience — and the perspective of a Deaf interpreter working at the top of the field — to organizations whose events, cases, and programs depend on communication working the first time.

His doctoral research at Heriot-Watt University (2021), on intralingual interpreting and International Sign, grounds the firm’s evidence-based approach. He is a WFD-WASLI Accredited International Sign Interpreter, a member of the International Association of Conference Interpreters (AIIC), an RID Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI), and holds the RID Specialist Certificate: Legal (SC:L).

As an educator and consultant, Christopher has shaped conversations on disability rights, interpreting practice, and cross-cultural communication through workshops and presentations worldwide. His work spans legal, academic, diplomatic, and corporate settings.

Christopher is also deeply involved in the theatre community. A professional actor and proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), he has worked both on stage and as a Director of Artistic Sign Language (DASL) — bringing firsthand production knowledge and Deaf cultural fluency to his work in the performing arts.

For peer-reviewed research, dissertations, and book chapters, see Publications.

Christopher Tester, Ph.D., CDI, SC:L

Founder, CEO & Principal Interpreter

  • RID Certified Deaf Interpreter

    CDI

  • RID Specialist Certificate: Legal

    SC:L

  • WFD Accredited

    International Sign Interpreter

  • AIIC Member

    Intl. Assoc. of Conference Interpreters

  • Doctorate in Interpretation

    Ph.D.

  • 20+ Years Experience

    Legal, UN, cultural & corporate

The Company

With Direction, LLC

We exist to bridge linguistic and cultural divides through exceptional interpreting, consulting, and training — and, in doing so, to move our field beyond compliance toward linguistic justice, challenging the transactional, “fastest-response” model that dominates the industry.

We envision a world where equitable communication is the standard, not the exception — where the Deaf perspective is not an accommodation but the benchmark for how access is designed. By 2029, we aim to help shift the market away from low-quality commodity interpreting toward an expertise-driven model that honors Deaf authorship, sustains the professionals who do this work, and makes meaningful access durable rather than ad hoc.

What guides our work

  • Linguistic integrity. Evidence-based interpreting strategy in every assignment, especially the highest-stakes settings.
  • Cultural competence. The cultural depth that legal, diplomatic, and creative environments demand — meaning, register, and presence matter as much as words.
  • Deaf authorship. Nothing about us without us. Deaf professionals are central to every service that affects Deaf communities, and the Deaf consumer’s choice sits at the center of every project.
  • Radical transparency. Trust built through honest processes, clear pricing, and intellectual candor.
  • Investment in the field. Mentorship, development, and equitable pay — with deliberate investment in Deaf and BIPOC practitioners.

Based in Brooklyn, NY, we serve our local community while maintaining a global presence through our work with international organizations and remote services. We’re not just a business — we’re part of the Deaf community.

Work With WITHdirection

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