Itasca Interpretation Services also offers a second training program. THE COMMUNITY INTERPRETER is the first and only national 40-hour certificate program in community interpreting. It promotes national ethics and standards of practice in the field and can prepare interpreters to take national medical interpreter certification. The course covers ethics and conduct, basic skills (from pre-session to post-session), positioning and terminology, modes of interpreting, steps for sight translation, strategies for intervention, cultural mediation, and other vital skills and topics. In addition, this program provides an overview of the interpreting profession and discusses interpreter certification. Role plays, activities and group exercises provide hands-on experience for skills development. Video segments offer demonstrations, and a 405-page training manual and a 131-page workbook are included. All participants will be tested for language proficiency to receive a certificate.
The program includes a two-hour written assessment on the last day of training and offers three levels of certificates for successful candidates:
Level 1: Qualified Interpreter
Level 2: Professionally Trained Interpreter
Level 3: Hospitality Interpreter
Community interpreting is a growing profession. It encompasses interpreting in health care, education and human and social services. In the past, family and friends used to interpret in these settings. Today, federal civil rights legislation, national interpreting ethics and standards, hospital accreditation agencies and many state and municipal laws endorse or promote the use of qualified or certified interpreters. A qualified interpreter should, at a minimum, attend professional training and be tested for language proficiency. A certified interpreter would also need to pass a recognized government or professional certification test.
A 40-hour training course is considered by many the minimum threshold for community interpreting. The Community Interpreter meets this need.
