court translators / interpreters
Hi Everyone!
Is anyone in this forum a certified court translator/interpreter?
I'm looking into a program to prepare myself for the state exam....
Thus I was wondering if anyone here is already certified...so I can get some pointers, guidance, suggestions, etc...
Thanks!!
7 Answers
It does, however, require some innate ability that cannot be learned or be "trained" into a person...
I agree; translating is an art.
It is, but it can be learned.
I was referring to interpreting, particularly simultaneous interpreting. The experts tell us that simultaneous interpreting requires the simultaneous use of 21 cognitive skills. (Don't ask me what they are.) Even some of the most learned people in both languages don't have the innate abilities to do this. Conversely, some that have this ability do not have an adequate grasp of one or both of the languages.
In the US, the definitions of the terms translation/translator and interpretation/interpreter have been standardized.
'Translation/translator? refer to rendering a written text from its source language to a target language (usually in written format, but sometimes orally).
'Interpretation/interpreter? refer to rendering spoken communication from its source language to a target language (bi-directional).
Court interpreters are required to do both.
"Interpreting" is what I was thinking when I said it was an art.
The skill it takes to listen, interpret, and speak at a level required by a court of law (which requires an exact interpretation and nothing less) is incredible. Just amazing.
It does, however, require some innate ability that cannot be learned or be "trained" into a person...
I agree; translating is an art.
... you don't have an easy task before you.
I can only imagine the expertise it takes to be a certified interpreter. I'm guessing sort of like the Bar Exam for law and Medical Boards for medicine: lots and lots of hard work.
I wish you the very best of luck, Yolii! Let us know how you do on the exam.
Yes, it is lots of hard work, but not as daunting (or as long) as the Bar Exam. It does, however, require some innate ability that cannot be learned or be "trained" into a person, whereas the Bar Exam and Medical Boards require, for the most part, knowledge and reasoning skills that one can acquire.
... you don't have an easy task before you.
I can only imagine the expertise it takes to be a certified interpreter. I'm guessing sort of like the Bar Exam for law and Medical Boards for medicine: lots and lots of hard work.
I wish you the very best of luck, Yolii! Let us know how you do on the exam.
Hi Everyone!
Is anyone in this forum a certified court translator/interpreter?
I'm looking into a program to prepare myself for the state exam....
Thus I was wondering if anyone here is already certified...so I can get some pointers, guidance, suggestions, etc...
Thanks!!
Hi, Yolii.
I am a Certified Judicial (court) Interpreter in my state, and you don't have an easy task before you. It usually takes 1-2 years to finish the certification process from the time you start (speaking of the application, required classes, tests, etc., aside from any training programs you do on your own). You need to go to your state's AOC (Administrative Office of the Courts) website. Contact info for all states' programs can be found here: http://www.ncsconline.org/D_RESEARCH/CIConsortContactspage.html.
You want to start out with state certification because the requirements are a little less stringent. Then you can seek federal certification if you desire. Information on federal certification can be found at the US AOC website, http://www.uscourts.gov/interpretprog/interp_prog.html, and also at the NAJIT (National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators) website, http://najit.org/. If you are really good at simultaneous interpretation (meaning you have significant experience doing it), you may want to go directly for federal certification, as most states will grant federally certified interpreters their state certification if they just fulfill the other requirements (less the training and tests) and, of course, pay their fees.
Be careful about "programs" to prepare for the state exam. Some of them are ripoffs and don't do anything to help you. Make sure it is a reputable program, as there are a number of those, as well. They are not inexpensive.
For a somewhat related topic see this thread: http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/show/9699/.
I wish you well.
Hi Everyone!
Is anyone in this forum a certified court translator/interpreter?
I'm looking into a program to prepare myself for the state exam....
Thus I was wondering if anyone here is already certified...so I can get some pointers, guidance, suggestions, etc...
Thanks!!
Hi Yolii
We are not a professional translation site and it looks from the content of your post, "professional translators" are what you need. If you have specific queries then feel free to post them. There is always the possibilty that someone MAY be able to help.
