Professional Interpretation and Translation — Spanish/English Certificate

This program was designed in response to the increasing demand for certified interpreters in the fields of law, medicine, business, education, immigration and conference interpreting.

Professional employment as an interpreter is available in the criminal justice system and medical settings as well as civil service and business. Academic training is becoming an essential element toward the various levels of certification. Interpreter examinations for certification purposes are mandated for employment in courts, medical facilities and administrative agencies at the county, state and federal levels. Corporations doing business abroad and international agencies also administer examinations. Increasingly, attorneys in private practice use only certified interpreters (a term generally used to describe individuals who have passed the California State Certification) for depositions, personal injury, and workers' compensation cases.

The program will provide training in sight translation and interpretation techniques in three four-unit courses and will emphasize professional protocol and ethics and the American legal system in two two-unit courses. The acquisition of specialized glossaries and vocabulary will be stressed throughout the program.

The program provides preparation for:

• examinations required for court interpretation by federal, state, and county agencies, as well as professional organizations
• a career as an interpreter in the private sector
• a career as a forensic interpreter