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 2021 Class Schedule

Introduction to Court Interpretation
LCI 201
Class Number: 41989
4 Units, Online
Instructors: Monique Dascha Inciarte
Start date: August 23, 2021
End date: December 17, 2021
Schedule: 6pm – 8:50pm (Zoom)
Prerequisites: None.
Course description: This is an introductory course for people who are interested in working in the field of interpretation either in the court system, community legal services or other non-legal community environments. The focus is to acquaint the student with the interpreting profession, the role of the interpreter in legal and community settings and the different modes of interpretation: consecutive, simultaneous and sight. The course is structured to give the student a familiarity with key legal terms, English and Spanish vocabulary, criminal procedure in the California justice system, and the professional expectations of judiciary and community interpreters. Students are provided guidance on developing study habits and terminology resources. The course provides an overview of the many professional opportunities available in this expanding, diverse and profitable field of professional interpretation.
Sight Translation
LCI 202
Class Number: 44938
4 Units, Online
Instructor: Monique Dascha Inciarte
Start date: September 7, 2021
End date: Dec. 17, 2021
Schedule: 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: Sight Translation lays the groundwork of interpreter training; principles of sight translation (oral); skills and practices; legal terms used in court proceedings; overview of key linguistic differences between English and Spanish; legal vocabulary development in English and Spanish; practice with a wide variety of documents in English and from a variety of Spanish speaking countries; and ethics. Sight translation 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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