LEGAL AND COMMUNITY INTERPRETING PROGRAM

Spanish interpreter sitting next to defendant in court

Court interpreter with defendant

Interpreter assisting medical staff and patient

WELCOME TO THE LEGAL AND COMMUNITY INTERPRETING PROGRAM!

Did you know that language interpretation is one of the most rapidly growing careers in California? Now more than ever, given the large percentage of people who don’t speak English in California, interpreters are needed in a wide variety of venues, including immigration courts, criminal courts, community organizations and hospitals. Laney College’s Legal and Community Interpreting Program trains interpreters to serve these needs.

As shelter in place orders start easing throughout the state and nationwide, the demand for interpreters will continue to grow. Interpreters are considered essential workers, therefore interpreting jobs are much very stable and secure. Court interpreter jobs also include pensions and benefits.

Click on the link below to read a recent article published in the San Francisco Chronicle about the vital impact that medical interpreters are having in hospitals right now:

Language interpreters prove crucial in Bay Area

The Legal and Community Interpreting Program offers two courses in the Fall of 2020, including the first course of the Program: Introduction to Spanish-language Legal Interpretation. This course centers on legal interpretation, but also offers insights into community interpretation, including medical. This course is an excellent way to learn what the profession is all about and can be your first step to a lucrative, life-long career.

Don’t let COVID-19 stop you from continuing your education! Enroll in the Legal and Community Interpreting Program’s ON-LINE Fall courses today!

FALL 2022 Class Schedule

*** Both Classes this semester are fully online. Both attendance in Zoom meetings once a week and online work on Canvas are required.

Introduction to Interpretation – Medical and Legal
LCI 201 – New! 8-week course
Class Number: Please see schedule of classes for Fall 2022
4 Units, Online
Instructor: Monique Dascha Inciarte
Dates: 8/22 – 10/15, Tuesday and Thursday
Times: 6pm – 8:50pm
Prerequisites: None (contact Laura Contreras to add the course if you are unable to add yourself, make sure to send her your student ID (lgomezcontreras@peralta.edu))
Course description: Introduction to Medical-Legal Interpretation in English and Spanish, including the different types of criminal and civil proceedings that take place within the California courts. An overview of criminal procedure from arrest to sentencing, with an emphasis on legal terminology in English and Spanish. Introduction to the different modes of interpretation; concepts and terminology used in the profession. Discussions of the role of the interpreter in different settings. Professional opportunities in the field of interpretation, including state and federal courts; administrative hearings; depositions; medical and community interpreting in the public/private sectors; immigration and asylum hearings; school district and social service and political events. The professional expectations for interpreters in legal and mecical settings, community and public services. Interpreter ethics and professional conduct.
Sight Translation – Medical-Legal
LCI 202
Class Number: Please see schedule of classes for Fall 2022
4 Units, Online
Instructor: Monique Dascha Inciarte Dates: 8/22 – 10/15, Tuesday and Thursday
Times: 6pm – 8:50pm
Prerequisites: None (contact Laura Contreras to add the course if you are unable to add yourself, make sure to send her your student ID (lgomezcontreras@peralta.edu))
Course description: Principles of sight translation (from written text to oral rendition); skills and practices; ; overview of key linguistic differences between English and Spanish; medical/legal vocabulary development in English and Spanish; practice with a wide variety of texts in English and from a variety of Spanish speaking countries; and ethics. Sight interpretation is one of components of the California Sate Exam for Spanish Interpreters.

Our LCI Curriculum is designed to:

PREPARE STUDENTS WHO ARE PROFICIENT IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH for careers in legal and community interpretation
ENHANCE THE SKILL SETS OF WORKING INTERPRETERS who want to improve their interpreting and knowledge of terminology and develop new skills.

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