FAQs
How do I register?
You can register online. Click on Registration and follow the instructions provided there. 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 3320 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 am registered, how soon can I start?
You are able to begin studying the course of your choice 2 weeks after registering.
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 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EST).
What will my coursework consist of?
Your course work will consist of the following:
- Reading chapters and completing quizzes. Should you not answer 80% of the test questions correctly, you will be asked to re-take the chapter.
- Glossary assignments
- Reading assignments
- Offering your solutions to ethical and protocol problems
- Interpretation assignments
Each of your assignments will be evaluated and graded.
Who has developed the course curriculum and created the 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 background 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.
Would you have the course offered 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 the program in that language. As of January 2010, the training is being offered in Albanian, Arabic, French, Hmong, German, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese languages. We are working on providing our training in many more languages, so please contact us via email at services@InterpreterEducationOnline.com, to check on the availability of your language.
Is distance-learning a fair substitute for an 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 will not materialize. 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 in this country 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 this course:
• 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 this course:
• 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 Advanced and Basic courses offered in various formats?
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.
Will the exercises in the Interpretation Practice section be recorded in real time or pre-recorded?
The Initial Assessment Test in Unit 1 and the Final Test in Unit 8 of the Advanced Course will be recorded in real time. The rest of the exercises will be pre-recorded by students and submitted for evaluation as an attachment or uploaded to the website.
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.
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. A grade of 80% or better is an indication that you are progressing in the program. Any grade lower than 80%, indicates that you have to re-take the chapter before moving forward to the next one. Also, you are required to complete assignments, both English and language specific. Your instructor will be providing you with his/her feedback on a weekly basis.
How long do I have to request a refund?
You may request a full refund up to 48 hours after registering. Otherwise, your registration 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?
If you select to take our Basic or Advanced courses, you will receive a Certificate of Completion, upon successful completion of all units of the designated course. If you select to take one of our single topic units, you will receive a Certificate of Completion, upon successful completion of the designated unit. The Certificate will be mailed to you approximately 7 business days after completion of your program.
Where can I obtain more information?
You may contact us at services@InterpreterEducationOnline.com or call us at 313-871-0080 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 313-871-0080 end_of_the_skype_highlighting Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6 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.
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