Training Programs for Iowa Court Interpreters
Formal court interpreter training is one of the six essential
qualifications for those who want to be listed on the Roster of State Court
Interpreters. To be listed on the
Roster, interpreters must be at least 18 years old and complete the following
steps in this order:
1)
Complete an official
"Application to be an Oral (or Sign) Language Interpreter"
2)
Complete a
"Release/Waiver" form to authorize Office of Professional Regulation staff
to conduct a criminal history check. (Interpreters cannot have committed a
felony or a lesser crime of dishonesty or moral turpitude.
3)
Attend a two-day court interpreter
orientation workshop approved by the state court administrator. (Those who
previously attended an orientation program in Iowa have met this
qualification.)
4)
Pass a written exam on the Code of
Professional Conduct for Judicial Branch Interpreters
5)
Pass an additional written exam (135
multiple-choice questions) covering general English vocabulary and slang, legal
terms, court-related issues, and ethics.
Being
listed on the Roster of Court Interpreters does not mean an interpreter is
"certified." An oral language
interpreter must pass a very difficult oral interpretation exam to become a
"certified" court interpreter.
For more information on the certification exam, click on "Tests"
at the top of this page.
Court and Legal
Interpreter Orientation Workshops
2009 SCHEDULE
The two-day orientation seminars for court interpreters will be
held on Saturday, May 2, 2009, and Sunday, May 3, 2009 at the
DMACC Urban Campus, 1100 7th St., Betts Building, Room 129.
Please
note that the dates for the court interpreter orientation seminar for October
have been changed to Monday, October 12, and Tuesday, October 13 in Des Moines. The locations and approximate times are set
forth below. We are sorry for any
inconvenience this change may cause, but hopefully it is far enough in advance
that you can plan accordingly.
Location
for October 12, 2009: DMACC Urban Campus, Building 1, Room 124, 1100 7th
St., Des Moines, IA 50314
Location
for October 13, 2009: American Heart Association Conference Room, 1111 9th
St. Suite 280, United Way Building, Des Moines, IA 50314
These will be in-person seminars.
Due to budget constraints, the seminars will not be offered over the
ICN. Seminar dates are subject to change
based on the availability of the presenters.
Registration Deadline: The deadline for the October 12 and 13, 2009 orientation
is Monday, October 5, 2009. To obtain registration forms, click the "Forms"
link above.
You
may also obtain more information from the website for the Iowa Interpreters and Translators
Association.
Note: The orientation workshop is a pre-requisite
to taking the written exams for court interpreters, which interpreters must
pass to be listed on Iowa's Roster of Court Interpreters. Interpreters must also pass the written exams
to qualify to take the Oral Interpretation Exams for Court Interpreter
Certification.
- Orientation Program Registration & Cost
Registration for the orientation workshop is $155.00, which includes:
workshop and materials. The full amount is due at the time of registration. The
fee is $100 for interpreters who reside in a county that does not have anyone
on the Roster
of Court Interpreters in the non-English language they interpret.
The Iowa Interpreters and Translators Association (IITA) organize these
workshops. Pre-registration is
required. The IITA accepts checks, money
orders, and the following credit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and
Discover.
You can register for the orientation program by clicking the "Forms"
link above.
The completed registration form for the orientation program should be
mailed with the fee to the IITA at:
Iowa Interpreters and Translators Association, Inc.
PO Box 12031
Des Moines, IA 50312
Make your check or money order payable to: Iowa
Interpreters and Translators Association, Inc. For payment with a Visa or Mastercard, call the IITA at: 515.865.3873.
- Cancellation/Rescheduling Policy
For those who wish to cancel and obtain a refund of the registration fee,
a $35.00 cancellation fee will be charged on all cancellations one week or more
before the program. There is a $50.00
cancellation fee for all cancellations less than seven days before the program.
No refunds are available for no-shows or partial attendance. To cancel your reservation, please e-mail the
IITA at: treasurer@iitanet.org
IITA reserves the right to cancel the entire event if an insufficient
number of registrations are received -- in which case all registered
participants will receive a full refund of their $155.00 fee.
There will be no cancellation fee for those who register and pay the fee,
then decide to re-schedule their registration for the next scheduled
orientation program -- if the request is received at least one week before the
program. In this situation, the IITA will retain the registration fee and
credit the fee toward the next program.
To reschedule, please e-mail the IITA at: treasurer@iitanet.org.
- Questions About the Orientation Workshops
For more information on registration for the orientation workshop, please
email the IITA at: info@iitanet.org
or call: 515.865.3873.
Preparation
for the Oral Language Court Interpreter Certification Exams
- Languages
for Which Iowa Offers Certification (Oral) Exams
The Iowa Judicial Branch is a member of the Consortium for
State Court Interpreter Certification, which provides access to oral language
court interpreter certification exams in 14 languages:
|
▪Arabic
|
▪Cantonese
|
▪French
|
▪Haitian
Creole
|
▪Hmong
|
|
▪Korean
|
▪Laotian
|
▪Mandarin
|
▪Portuguese
|
▪Russian
|
|
▪Serbian-Croatian
|
▪Somali
|
▪Spanish
|
▪Vietnamese
|
|
- Preparation
to Take the Oral Language Certification Exams
If
there is sufficient demand for a workshop to prepare interpreters for the
certification exams, the Iowa Interpreters and Translators Association (IITA)
might organize workshop to help candidates prepare to take the oral
interpretation exams approximately one month before the oral exams, which are
in mid-September each year. Anyone
interested in taking the oral interpretation exams should also see the
self-help programs and materials described below.
Other Court Interpreter Training
Programs
- Annual Conference of the Iowa Interpreters
and Translators Association (IITA)
The IITA usually holds its annual conference in Des Moines on the
third or fourth weekend in June. This provides an excellent opportunity for
interpreters to learn from professionals in the field and to network and socialize
with other interpreters from around the state.
For more information and to register for the conference, visit the IITA website.
- Other
Professional Training Programs
When we become aware of other court interpreter training programs
in Iowa or neighboring states, we will post the information on this page. The IITA's website is also a good source of
information regarding upcoming training programs. The National
Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT) also conducts
court interpreter training programs in various locations.
- Self-Help
Study Programs and Materials for Oral Language Court Interpreters
·
The Consortium's Practice Kit for the Oral Examination for
Spanish Court Interpreters
The
National Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification (Consortium) has
developed a Spanish
Practice Oral Examination Kit. The Practice Examination Kit includes the
following:
ü Instruction Manual
ü CD with audio files containing the practice exam and a
passing performance on the examination
ü Hard copies of the test scripts
The
Kit is designed to provide purchasers with a step-by-step process to increase
their understanding of four key aspects of the oral interpretation exams:
ü What a real
Consortium performance examination looks like,
including the "scoring units."
Practicing with the kit before taking an operational examination will
give the individual an opportunity to take a practice examination and score it
in much the same way that trained raters do for the actual examinations.
ü The scoring
methodology used by the Consortium to score oral examinations in a fair and consistent way. Purchasers will create their own scoring
dictionaries and in the process, learn how to research words and phrases like
the trained raters do and make decisions about what should be acceptable or not
and why.
ü What a passing
performance is really like. A certified interpreter took the practice
examination as a favor to the Committee and staff recorded that
performance. Listening to the passing
performance will give the purchaser a feel for what actual raters will do when
one takes an operational examination.
ü Self-assessment
of one's own level of skill and readiness to take a Consortium exam. The purchaser will
have the opportunity to take the practice examination in a way that closely
replicates the actual test environment and to fairly and objectively assess his
or her current level of skill.
Candidates should be able to recognize strengths, identify weaknesses,
and learn what additional training or practice is needed to improve
performance.
If
an interpreter completes all of the assignments in a step-by-step manner and in
the order provided, users should gain a better understanding of what a real
exam is like. More importantly, users
should gain a more realistic view of their own level of performance.
·
ACEBO
ACEBO
is a company that specializes in self-help training materials for interpreters
of Spanish and other languages.
P.O. Box 7485
Spreckels, CA 93962
Phone: 831.455.1507
·
Agnese
Haury Institute for Court Interpretation
This
is an exceptional intensive training program for interpreters who are serious
about achieving a high level of competency in court interpreting. It is an excellent program for preparing to
take any nationally-recognized court interpreter certification exam.
University of Arizona
Modern Languages Bldg. #67, Room
445
Tucson, AZ 95721
Phone: 520.621.3685
Training Programs for Sign Language Court Interpreters
The Deaf
Services Commission of the Iowa Department of Human Rights oversees the
testing and training of sign language interpreters in Iowa.
