How do I sign up for a course?
You can do so online on our Programs & Products page. Once there, follow the instructions provided on the page. If you prefer to pay for your selection with a check or money order, you may do so by mailing the check to our address at 3141 Caniff St., Hamtramck, MI 48212. Upon receipt of the funds, we will notify you and you will be able to complete your registration.
Once I pay for a course, how soon can I start?
If you take a course with an instructor, you begin your course 2 weeks after the payment date. If you take a course without an instructor, then you may start the same day that you pay.
Will I be able to contact anyone for technical support?
You can always contact our technical support department at support@InterpreterEducationOnline.com. Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST).
What will my coursework consist of?
Your course work will consist of the following:
- Reading chapters and completing quizzes.
- Glossary assignments
- Reading assignments
- Offering your solutions to ethical and protocol problems
- Interpretation assignments
Who developed the course curriculum and content?
Our educational programs have been developed by a multidisciplinary team of language, legal and medical professionals. Experienced practicing interpreters with federal and state credentials and with extensive pedagogical and academic backgrounds created the course concept and curriculum as well as the Interpreter Ethics, Interpretation Theory and Interpretation Practice sections. The Legal Concepts and Criminal Procedure sections were written by legal professionals and the Special Topic section – by subject-matter specialists, for example by a firearm expert.
Do you offer any courses in my language?
Our goal is to fill the educational gap for interpreters of languages other than Spanish (OTS). Therefore, as long as we are able to secure a qualified instructor in a given language, we would be offering programs in that language. As of now, training is offered in Albanian, Arabic, French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, German, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. We are working on providing our training in many more languages.
Is distance-learning a fair substitute for on-site language lab training?
Training for hours at a language lab under a guidance of an experienced language-specific instructor is invaluable. However, there are very few such courses for a very small number of language pairs available in the U.S. Therefore, for the majority of interpretation students, the on-site option is not useful. Our goal was to develop the next best thing and make it available and accessible for interpreters of many languages at any place and at anytime. Our students are evaluated and guided by experienced certified interpreters and trainers who work with students on one-on-one basis and offer invaluable mentoring.
Are your prices comparable to other similar programs?
There are very few comparable programs in the US. The few courses that offer comprehensive language-specific training programs (usually Spanish) start at around $1200.00 – $1400.00. Our approach was to offer training options to interpreters of languages other than Spanish, though we offer our training to Spanish interpreters as well. Our students work with two instructors: language-specific and language-neutral for general questions and ethics portion. At their fingertips the students have access to all materials, glossaries, and exercises professional interpreters used to dream about. We believe we offer a great value to our students.
The majority of your materials are in English. Why do you call your training language-specific?
One of the necessary components of court interpreter professional qualification is knowledge of the subject area and the industry he or she serves. That is why we dedicate so much time and attention to studying various areas of law as well as in-depth understanding of all stages of criminal procedures and special topics. Since court interpreters work within the U.S. legal system, which is conducted in English, and since court interpreters invariably interpret legal procedures from English into non-English languages (only the LEP’s testimony is interpreted from LOTE to English), yes, the study materials are in English as well. Multiple choice tests at the end of each chapter aim at ensuring that students understand chapter materials well.
However, we offer extensive language-specific components in every chapter:
First, the students are encouraged to read and study similar topics in their working languages in order to be well versed in legal concepts, courtroom language, and terminology in all working languages. We’ve created a long list of relevant resources in non-English working languages and it is provided to each student in their language of study.
Second, a vast amount of students’ time and effort, while working on chapters, will be dedicated to compiling English > LOTE glossaries of terms and expressions. English legalese is chock full of concepts and linguistic “formulas” that don’t have direct equivalents in other languages. In a split second, court interpreters need to come up with not only a correct equivalent, but with the most concise equivalent to keep up the pace of simultaneous interpreting. Under the guidance of experienced mentors, students will build an arsenal of pat “ready to use” translation formulas and make sure that ‘they got it right’. Next, they will engrave these equivalents into their long-term memory by performing terminology/expressions audio-drills.
Third, in each unit, students will not only enjoy multiple practice exercises in sight translation, simultaneous, and consecutive modes that closely simulate actual courtroom discourse, but also receive feedback on their performance from an experienced language-specific mentor.
However, we offer extensive language-specific components in every chapter:
First, the students are encouraged to read and study similar topics in their working languages in order to be well versed in legal concepts, courtroom language, and terminology in all working languages. We’ve created a long list of relevant resources in non-English working languages and it is provided to each student in their language of study.
Second, a vast amount of students’ time and effort, while working on chapters, will be dedicated to compiling English > LOTE glossaries of terms and expressions. English legalese is chock full of concepts and linguistic “formulas” that don’t have direct equivalents in other languages. In a split second, court interpreters need to come up with not only a correct equivalent, but with the most concise equivalent to keep up the pace of simultaneous interpreting. Under the guidance of experienced mentors, students will build an arsenal of pat “ready to use” translation formulas and make sure that ‘they got it right’. Next, they will engrave these equivalents into their long-term memory by performing terminology/expressions audio-drills.
Third, in each unit, students will not only enjoy multiple practice exercises in sight translation, simultaneous, and consecutive modes that closely simulate actual courtroom discourse, but also receive feedback on their performance from an experienced language-specific mentor.
Many successful interpreters are self-taught and consider independent training/study to be sufficient. There are also great resources available to interpreters for self-training as well as multiple workshops and conferences. What is the value of your course in comparison to these educational and training options?
We cannot agree more with both statements. In fact, we pay respectful tribute and enthusiastically recommend students to acquire the staples of interpreter education materials such as Fundamentals of Court Interpretation Theory, Policy and Practice by Roseann D. Gonzales, Victoria F. Vasquez, Holly Mikkelson. We also suggest the utilization of many other resources such as attending of professional conferences, subscribing to the NAJIT listserve, and many others. We also believe that interpreter’s education never ends. Our goal is to help students learn and improve their skills.
Here is what we see as the value of our programs:
• The Advanced Course offers a comprehensive, well-rounded approach to education of court interpreters. It provides abundant subject-matter materials, an extensive study on court interpreter ethics and protocol, on interpretation theory, as well as language-specific practice.
• The authors processed and compiled hundreds of books and other resources to deliver all the essential and relevant theoretical and practical materials on various areas of law, stages of criminal procedure, specialized topics, and interpretation theory in a systematic, compact, and clear form.
• All chapters have been written by experts and specialists: by legal and law-enforcement professionals, forensic experts, insurance specialists, and linguists in cooperation with practicing certified interpreters.
• Each chapter contains an extensive list of available resources on the topic for further study.
• By the end of the course, students will develop a wide assortment of working equivalents and an ability to recall complex terminology and expressions instantaneously.
• In each unit, students will not only have an opportunity to practice multiple exercises in the sight translation, simultaneous, and consecutive modes, but also receive feedback on their performance from experienced language-specific mentors based on 12 evaluation criteria.
• The course is accessible anywhere, anytime.
• While some interpreters are comfortable with independent study; a vast majority of others seek instructors who have more experience and are willing to share their expertise. However, many interpreters do not have the access to such instructors and our program seeks to close this gap.
Here is what we see as the value of our programs:
• The Advanced Course offers a comprehensive, well-rounded approach to education of court interpreters. It provides abundant subject-matter materials, an extensive study on court interpreter ethics and protocol, on interpretation theory, as well as language-specific practice.
• The authors processed and compiled hundreds of books and other resources to deliver all the essential and relevant theoretical and practical materials on various areas of law, stages of criminal procedure, specialized topics, and interpretation theory in a systematic, compact, and clear form.
• All chapters have been written by experts and specialists: by legal and law-enforcement professionals, forensic experts, insurance specialists, and linguists in cooperation with practicing certified interpreters.
• Each chapter contains an extensive list of available resources on the topic for further study.
• By the end of the course, students will develop a wide assortment of working equivalents and an ability to recall complex terminology and expressions instantaneously.
• In each unit, students will not only have an opportunity to practice multiple exercises in the sight translation, simultaneous, and consecutive modes, but also receive feedback on their performance from experienced language-specific mentors based on 12 evaluation criteria.
• The course is accessible anywhere, anytime.
• While some interpreters are comfortable with independent study; a vast majority of others seek instructors who have more experience and are willing to share their expertise. However, many interpreters do not have the access to such instructors and our program seeks to close this gap.
Why are the some of your courses offered in different packages?
Various educational packages provide students with the opportunity to choose the best training option to fit their learning needs.
Some may want to work independently, using our materials without constrains of strict academic curriculum and the requirement to submit their homework in a timely manner. They are tech-savvy, and don’t need technological support.
Other students, in addition to accessing the course materials, want to receive an objective evaluation of their interpretation performance at the beginning and at the end of the program.
The majority of students, however, prefer to study under the guidance of instructors. The new package system offers various assignment workloads, so students can balance their time, budget, and educational needs.
Some may want to work independently, using our materials without constrains of strict academic curriculum and the requirement to submit their homework in a timely manner. They are tech-savvy, and don’t need technological support.
Other students, in addition to accessing the course materials, want to receive an objective evaluation of their interpretation performance at the beginning and at the end of the program.
The majority of students, however, prefer to study under the guidance of instructors. The new package system offers various assignment workloads, so students can balance their time, budget, and educational needs.
Who teaches the course?
Each course is taught by two instructors – language-neutral and language-specific. All our instructors are accomplished federally and state certified interpreters with proven interpreter training skills. Visit our Instructors page to learn more about them.
Will the exercises in the Interpretation Practice section be recorded in real time or pre-recorded?
Initial Assessment Tests and the Final Assessment Test are recorded in real time. The rest of the exercises are pre-recorded by students and submitted for evaluation as an attachment via email.
How many practice exercises are offered? How many hours will language-specific instructors dedicate to my training?
The number of exercises varies by the course. Both the Advanced and the Basic Courses offer multiple practice exercises in the sight translation, consecutive, and simultaneous modes. The initial and final evaluation tests are recorded in real time, while the rest of the exercises are pre-recorded by students and submitted for evaluation. There are 12 criteria for assessing the interpreter performance. Some Single-Topic Units such as those dedicated to improvement of interpretation techniques include mandatory interpretation practice, while in subject matter units exercises are optional.
For specific information on the number of the exercises in each course, please contact us at: services@InterpreterEducationOnline.com
For specific information on the number of the exercises in each course, please contact us at: services@InterpreterEducationOnline.com
Will I be able to contact my online instructor?
Of course. You will be provided with your instructor’s e-mail address where you can send him or her any questions or address any concerns. In addition, Skype lessons with instructors are available. In these lessons, students will be able to ask questions and go over exercises in real time with their instructor.
How do I know if I am doing well?
At the end of each chapter, you are required to take an online quiz. You will receive a grade for the quiz and the correct answer to each question. Also, you are required to complete interpretation assignments, both English and language specific. Your instructor will be providing you with his/her feedback.
How long do I have to request a refund?
You may request a full refund up to 48 hours after paying for a course. Otherwise, your payments will be processed. There will be no refunds after that. Courses may not be transferred to another party. No Exceptions.
When am I awarded a Certificate of Completion?
After you have completed the course by submitting all the required assignments and averaging at least a 70% on all of your quizzes. Certificates of Completion may be mailed as a paper copy or emailed in digital form.
Where can I obtain more information?
You may contact us at services@InterpreterEducationOnline.com or call us at 313-481-4985 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST).
What are the minimum technical requirements to take a course?
Hardware
To access courses, your computer should have the following minimum specifications:
To access courses, your computer should have the following minimum specifications:
- PC Configuration
- 400 Megahertz Intel Pentium III Processor (933 preferred)
- 64 Megabytes RAM (128 or more preferred)
- 6-Gigabyte Hard Drive
- 56.6 Kbps Modem (or Cable Modem / DSL is highly recommended)
- Windows XP
- Mac Configuration
- 400 Megahertz iMac (933 preferred)
- 64 MB RAM (128 or more preferred)
- 6 Gigabytes Hard Drive
- 56.6 K Modem (or Cable Modem / DSL if available)
- Macintosh OS 9
You will be required to listen to and record audio. An integrated sound card, external speakers, and an external microphone are necessary.
Browsers
The following web browsers are supported:
- PC
- Internet Explorer 5.5 or later (free download)
- Firefox (free download)
- Macintosh
- Firefox (free download)
Browser Settings
- Security Level – set at Medium
- Accept all cookies
- Enable JavaScript
- Enable Java
To reset the settings in Internet Explorer, you should click on Tools in the menu bar at the top of your browser. Then click on Internet Options and find and set proper features under the Security tab and Custom Level button.
It is also recommended to clear browser cache and delete cookies regularly to delete previous sessions. To do that, click Tools in the menu bar at the top of your browser. Then click on Internet Options and click on the delete cookies and temporary files buttons.
Viewers/Players/Plug-ins
To view or access course content, you may need one or more of the following, depending on the type of content posted in the course:
- Microsoft Word viewer is recommended as faculty members frequently use Word for their course documents (free download)
- Adobe Acrobat Reader for PDF files (free download)
- Adobe Flash Player (free download)
- Java Plug-in (free download)
- Quicktime Video Player (free download)
Additional Software
Some of your assignments will include recording and submitting your own renditions of translated material. Most modern computers include a voice recording utility as part of their operating system; however the quality of the recording is often low and it may be difficult to grade you. We recommend installing a voice recording application such as Audacity (free download), which can record directly from a microphone connected to your computer’s sound card.
Subscribers are solely responsible for ensuring that they have sufficient and compatible hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, and Internet service necessary for use of the testing service. No refunds shall be issued based on subscribers’ equipment incompatibility or failure.
Can my access to the course be extended if I need more time?
Yes. We understand things like emergencies, work obligations, and family issues can force students to take some time off from their coursework. As a result, Interpreter Education Online has a policy that grants students an extension of their course access.
Students taking the Advanced course are allowed an extension of up to 4 weeks. Students in the Basic courses may have an extension of up to 2 weeks and students taking a Single Topic Unit are given an extension of 1 week.
Students must request an extension in writing (via email) at least 2 weeks before the end of their course. Emergencies will be taken into consideration on a case by case basis.
Students who require an additional extension to the course will have to pay 25% of the prorated tuition amount in order to be re-enrolled. The student will then be granted an additional month of access to their course.
Can I submit more exercises than I’m required to?
Yes, you can. However, there is an additional charge of $40.00 per glossary and $89.99 per interpretation assignment .
Do you offer courses in American Sign Language?
Not yet. However, ASL interpreters can earn RID CEUs by taking our single topic courses. Visit our ASL-CEU page for more information.
I need to take a course in order to get CEUs. How do I know whether to take a course with or without instructor evaluation?
Since CEU guidelines vary from one certifying organization to another, we suggest you visit our CEUs page in order to become familiar with requirements of many organizations. You may also wish to contact your state or national certifying organization to check on their CEU requirements.
Will I become certified after taking your courses?
No you will not. Interpreter Education Online is not a certifying body. However, our courses prepare students for certification tests. For more information on how to get certified, please visit our certification page.
Can I be enrolled in more than once course at one time?
As a way of avoiding any complication or confusion, we do not enroll students in more than one course at a time. Students who pay for more than one course must complete one course at a time before they are enrolled in others.
Do you offer financial aid?
At this time we do not. However, if you’re taking a course that costs $1,500 ore more, you’ll have the option of paying it in two installments. We also provide group discounts.
Do you provide Financial Aid?
At this time we do not provide financial aid. It may become available at some point. In the meantime, if you are currently working for a translation agency, you might want to check with them about assisting in continuing your education.
Is it necesarry to purchase any aditional material per say books in order to complete the course?
Dear Franco,
It is not necessary to purchase any material to complete our courses. However, we require a high speed internet connection and an adequate browser.
Furthermore, all of the reading materials that you will need to complete any of our courses are available online.
For your reference, you may visit our Bookstore for Language Specific Legal and Medical Guides and Resources. These manuals will be of great help to you during and off an assignment, as they provide equivalents, proverbs, FAQs, and many other interpreter friendly expressions.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at: services@InterpreterEducationOnline.com for any further information!
what happens if i have not completed the course after 16 weeks?
Hello Daniel,
If you feel that you cannot complete the course within 16 weeks we usually are very flexible with extending this time period. However, in order to approve your petition for extension, we will need a valid reason of why you would not complete the course within 16 weeks.
I hope this helped!
Do you offer the online interpreter program to Canadians? I am a legal (court) interpreter in Québec (working in French and English) and this program might be just what I am looking for
Thank you,
Jennifer Scallen
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you for taking an interest in Interpreter Education Online! Our courses are open to anyone, from any part of the world, who is striving to become an interpreter or just looking to improve their skills.
Please do not hesitate to email me at: support@InterpreterEducationOnline.com if you have any further questions or concerns regarding sign up!
Ana Cukovic
Course Administrator
Good Afternoon; I’m very excited to start the Intermediate Course. I mailed out the money order today by Certify Mail. My question is: I have a computer at home, is Windows 2000 with internet, will that help me?.. Thank you
Dear Wendy,
We are very happy to count you among our students. The course requires that you have high speed internet and a PC or a MAC. For more details, you can take a look at the last question of this page “minimal technical requirements”. Good luck with the course!
Are all your courses reading and taking quizzes or do you have any recorded lectures/lessons?
Dear Lesly,
We don’t have any recorded lessons. While taking the course, you will review reading materials, take quizzes and work on pre-recorded audio files to practice your interpretation techniques. The instructor will answer your questions through an internal communication device that allows our students to send messages with their questions to the instructors within the course environment. Also, the instructor reviews the students’ exercises and glossaries, providing feedback and mentoring the students on their progress.
Should you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. We can also schedule a virtual tour of the course, so you can have a better idea of how it works and what it consists of. This tour is conducted via Skype. Let me know if you would be interested in such a demonstration. You can contact me directly at services@InterpreterEducationOnline.com.
Thank you and have a great day.
Hi, do your courses qualify for continuing education hours for court interpreters? If so, is the number of ce hours equivalent to the number of “units”? Thank you!
Hello Ariana,
Our courses do qualify for continuing education hours for court interpreters. And no, the number of CE hours isn’t equivalent to the number of units.
Hello,
I have a notebook with microphone integrated to the web cam. I can add external speakers, but not an external microphone to it. Would that work? I would love to do the Intermediate Advanced course. Thank you.
Hello Anabelle,
Absolutely, that would work. You would be able to use your integrated microphone and listen to to audio files in the course with the use of headphones..
Hello Rubia. You will be able to find that information on North Carolina’s State Court page.
Hello, I’m interested in your programs, I was woundering is this a credited school. And once conpleating the course, will I be able to take the license exam in Texas?
Our courses were developed to prepare students for certification tests. We have found that students who apply themselves to the course and studied diligently were the ones that were the most successful when it came to passing certification exams.
I am from Pennsylvania. I’m interested in your single topic courses. How many CE credits is each single topic unit worth and how many hours is each topic. Also, is the Instructor Evaluation required for CE credit? Thank you.
Hello Ingrid,
Interpreter Education Online is approved as a provider of online training for interpreters seeking to become certified by the ICP and CEUs for already certified interpreters looking to comply with continuing education requirements in order to renew their certification. While there is no limit to the number of training hours which non-certified candidates are allowed to take online, certified interpreters seeking to comply with continuing education requirements are limited to no more than 6 CEUs of online training per each two-year compliance period.
PA awards .25 credits for every contact hour. Contact hours vary by course and the course would have to be taken with an instructor’s evaluation.
Dear Sirs:
I’m only interested in courses that provide me with ATA approved CEUs which I require to maintain my ATA-Certified status. I am a full-time in-house Senior Interpreter and Editor with a T & I agency; I travel frequently domestically & internationally, so my time is somewhat limited. I do not have Skype capability. What do you recommend?
Thank you,
Joseph Richard Perez
Hello Joseph,
Our single topic units for court interpreters are approved by ATA for CEUs. Skype is not required to take the courses. All you need is access to the Internet.
Dear Sirs,
There are very limited resources from which I can learn to be a professional interpreter in legal and healthcare system in Canada. And their info from school provided are very vague. My question is if I learn from you online, after completing the courses, can I apply most of the know-how and skills locally in Canada with taking extra courses provide from Canada, despite I need to take additional exams for being locally certified?
Hello Andrew,
Thank you for your interest in Interpreter Education Online. Since interpretation skills and techniques are, for the most part, universal, you most certainly could use what you learn with us and apply it to interpreting situations in Canada. You would also benefit from the medical and legal terminology that you would learn in our courses.
Interpreter Education Online
Dear Sir,
I am about to register one of your program. before that I have a few questions to ask:
1. Is basic course of court interpreter the pre-requisite of the advanced one? Or I can select the Advanced directly? Is advanced course cover the basic course? I don’t have a related experience and knowlege, so any prerequisite for a basic course?
2. In the course description, there are some bracket numbers. Are they number of hours or something else? for example, “Interpretation exercises evaluated by instructors (3)”.
3. For the materias to be purchased, how do I receive them in electrionic format like pdf or in print and cd-rom?
4. how do I book the skpe type communication appointment with instructor? Are they scheduled in the course or I can select according to my need and my own prefered time (even the weekend?)
Regards,
Hello Adnrew,
1.) The basic course is not a prerequisite for the advanced course. The advanced course covers the basic and can be taken directly.
2.) Those numbers indicate the number of exercises which are evaluated by instructors.
3.) All the materials are located in the course in various forms such as pdf files, word documents, and audio files.
4.) At this type, Skype sessions are not included in the course. Skype sessions are scheduled according your availability.
Regards,
Interpreter Education Online
Hello
I am wondering if the coruse meets the National Board of Certified Medical Interpreters? Are there numerous “boards” related to this field?
Hello John,
Thank you for your question. Our Preparatory Course for the NBCMI exam meets the 40 hour training requirement. In addition to NBCMI, medical interpreters may also be certified by CCHI.
What is the cost of the medical interpreter in Spanish?
Hi Gina,
We have different medical interpreter courses with different prices available in Spanish. Please visit our Programs and Products page.
I was wondering if 1.) Do you have to know the language prior to taking the course? 2.) Is there anything for military members ( discounts, can the military pay for it)?
Hello Amber,
Yes. We require that students be fluent in their target language. At this time, we do not offer any sort of financial aid for members of the military.