This 9 to 12 month program will provide you with the legal terminology and interpreting skills required to work as a state court interpreter. The following 4 courses must be successfully completed with a grade of 70% or better to receive a Certificate of Completion in the Court Interpreter Program.

Interpreting Criminal Proceedings I – $545.00

Pre-requisite: Students should possess written skills in both English and Spanish at high school level or above.

Recommendation: All students should attend our free online group orientation prior to registering in the first course.

Tip: For optimum results, it is recommended that students practice 1 to 1.5 hours daily in the Online Interpreting Laboratory.

Note: Students who pass this course will be close to state required level in the consecutive technique and will have exceeded state required level in the simultaneous technique.

This course introduces the general criminal terminology in Spanish and English used in criminal court. Typical proceedings such as arraignments, pre-trial hearings, preliminary hearings, and trials are also introduced. The concept of register within the transfer of structures along with colloquialisms and slang are part of this course. Typical legal and non-legal false cognates are also presented in this course. Consecutive techniques leading to a maximum of 40 terms per segment are presented during this course. Simultaneous techniques leading to a maximum of 140 words per minute are introduced. This course consists of 27 hours of instruction, and two live over-the-phone assessments in real-time with a certified interpreter, followed by a detailed written report. It also includes unlimited 24/7 access to our Online Interpreting Laboratory at no extra cost.

Interpreting Criminal Proceedings II – $545.00

Pre-requisite: Successful completion of the Interpreting Criminal Proceedings I course with a grade of 70% or better.

Tip: For optimum results, it is recommended that students practice 1 to 1.5 hours daily in the Online Interpreting Laboratory.

Note: Students who pass this course will have exceeded the state required level in the consecutive as well as the simultaneous interpreting techniques.

This is a continuation of the Interpreting Criminal Proceedings I course. This course covers all the proceedings available in Criminal Court including the forms used in each proceeding. Some of the forms covered in this course include: misdemeanor plea forms, misdemeanor sentencing forms, probation and sentencing memorandum, and felony plea forms. All the forms are translated into Spanish. The proceedings included in this course include: change of plea, probation violations, plea in misdemeanor and felony cases, progress reports, readiness conferences, and time waivers. Juvenile and family law proceedings are also presented. Specialized vocabulary in drugs, fingerprints, gang terminology, jury instructions, and weapons are introduced. Consecutive techniques leading to a maximum of 90 terms per segment are presented. Simultaneous techniques leading to a maximum speed of 200 words per minute are also part of this course. This course consists of 27 hours of instruction, and two live over-the-phone assessments in real-time with a certified interpreter, followed by a detailed written report. It also includes unlimited 24/7 access to our Online Interpreting Laboratory at no extra cost.

Sight Translation for Court Interpreters – $545.00

Pre-requisite: Successful completion of the  Interpreting Criminal Proceedings II course with a grade of 70% or better.

Tip: For optimum results, it is recommended that students practice 1 to 1.5 hours daily in the Online Interpreting Laboratory.

This course discusses the translation principles of localization/normalization, re-structuring, stability in the transfer and interferences. Techniques to stabilize the transfer and to properly re-structure the rendition into the target language are presented. Sight translations into both directions - Spanish and English are part of this course. Sight readings include police reports, probation reports, custody matters, family law disputes, birth and death certificates, letters written by attorneys, court orders, sworn statements, and original documents from Mexico and Central America. This course consists of 27 hours of instruction, and two live over-the-phone assessments in real-time with a certified interpreter, followed by a detailed written report. It also includes unlimited 24/7 access to our Online Interpreting Laboratory at no extra cost.

Advanced Criminal Proceedings II – $545.00

Pre-requisite: Successful completion of the Sight Translation for Court Interpreters course with a grade of 70% or better.

Tip: For optimum results, it is recommended that students practice 1 to 1.5 hours daily in the Online Interpreting Laboratory.

This course emphasizes mock examinations similar to the format and level of difficulty one encounters in the Consortium Examination for Court Interpreters. Every lecture includes practices suitable for the interpreting exam. The practices in the consecutive mode of interpreting include segments that vary between 1 and 90 terms. The practices in the simultaneous mode of interpreting have a speed that varies between 120 and 200 words per minute. Exam taking techniques are discussed in this course. This course includes 27 hours of instruction. It also includes unlimited 24/7 access to  our Online Interpreting Laboratory at no extra cost. There are two live over-the-phone assessments in real-time with a certified interpreter, followed by a detailed written report. The grade for this course is strictly based on the two over-the-phone assessments. Please note, this course is exclusive to SCSI Online students and is not open to students who have attended other programs.

Bonus: Students who attend this course also gain access to the Online Interpreting Laboratory (for review purposes only) in the following courses:

• Interpreting Criminal Proceedings I
• Interpreting Criminal Proceedings II
• Sight Translation for Court Interpreters 

Note: Access to the Online Interpreting Laboratory ends when the student takes the final exam for this course within the prescribed time frame, no exceptions.