Online Training
Community Interpreter Training
This online training course is designed for current and would-be community interpreters who wish to further their knowledge or gain new knowledge of interpreting protocols. The course is based on 70 hours of study and includes study materials, case studies, audio recordings, video demonstration and quizzes.
What the Course Includes
- Unit One: Introduction to Community Interpreting
- Unit Two: The Community Interpreter's Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice
- Unit Three: The Roles, Boundaries and Essential Practices of the Community Interpreter
- Unit Four: Theory of Interpreting and Memory Development
- Unit Five: Culture Bridging Skills
- Unit Six: Communication Skills and Interpreting
- Unit Seven: Sight Translating and Note-Taking
- Unit Eight: Managing the Interpretation
- Unit Nine: Interpretation Practice
The Curriculum
The objective of this workbook is to help beginner community interpreters understand the basic principles involved in community interpreting. The workbook covers the fundamentals that the community interpreter needs to be aware of in order to be a good practitioner.
This manual was developed by Cultural Interpretation Services for our Communities (CISOC). It is based on established interpreting protocols for community interpreters. The training has been provided by CISOC since 1993 and its materials have been delivered to more than 1000 community interpreters.
Each section begins with an overview of the units, a list of learning objectives, and the key terms and concepts to be covered. In addition to presenting learning content, each unit provides examples to illustrate concepts and quizzes for self-monitored learning. The practice materials in this curriculum are intended to reinforce the concepts covered in the work book through quizzes, case studies, checklists, and other explanatory and reinforcing materials.
This course is not interactive. While it contains quizzes and written exercises with accompanying answer keys, written work must be done with paper and pencil and will not be graded by CISOC. It is the learner's responsibility to monitor his own learning. However you can contact our training department at any time if you have any questions or concerns about the content you are studying.
The Three Essential Skill Sets that Community Interpreters Must Master
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Language Skills
In order to work as an interpreter, one must, of course, be fluent in two languages. It is not enough to simply take a course about interpreting protocols and pass an exam to call oneself a professional Community Interpreter. This course of study does not evaluate your current level of bilingual fluency. We therefore strongly recommend that you have your Language Skills tested by a reputable agency before you undertake this course of study. Language Skills can be evaluated using the CILISAT and/or ILSAT Tool. For more information on CILISAT and ILSAT tests, please contact CISOC.
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Interpretation Skills
Trying to learn how to interpret through an online course is a bit like trying to learn how to swim by reading a book on swimming. While this manual provides learners with techniques and practice suggestions for interpreting - as well as two audio dialogues in 17 languages (Arabic, Cantonese, Farsi, German, French, Hindi, Korean, Mandarin, Nepali, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese) for practice - it does not provide extensive hands-on training in interpreting. It is up to learners to build their interpreting skills by using the methods and self-directed exercises suggested herein. Consistent practice through simulated and real-life experience will strengthen the interpreter's ability to translate fluidly and accurately - without additions, omissions, or changes to a client's words.
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Interpretation Protocols Skills and Interpretation Management Skills
Professional interpreters must follow strict rules of protocol and procedure. These protocols and procedures follow standard rules for conducting interpretations and are built around both the Interpreter's Code of Ethics and the Standards of Practice. They provide interpreters with solid guidelines for how interpretations should be conducted - from the point of accepting the assignment, to performing correct introductions and explaining the process to both clients, to knowing how and when to interrupt a session, as well as giving interpreters standard techniques for managing difficult interpreting situations. Your online workbook covers each of these protocols and processes in great depth.
Applying to Take the CISOC Examination
To obtain CISOC certification in Community Interpretation Protocols and Procedures, you must achieve a successful score of 75% or better in our two-hour online examination. The test items correspond directly to the subject matter contained in the course.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
If you do not pass the examination, you may purchase additional exam vouchers.
Information Guide
To assist you with your decision to purchase the study book, we recommend you review the attached document: Guide to the Online Community Interpreter Training.
These forms are in PDF format and can be downloaded to and then printed from your computer with Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have this free software installed on your computer, click here. Once installed, it can be used to read many documents throughout the Web.
Sample Workbook
This is a sample of the online Community Interpreter Training Program.
In this limited sample, most interactive elements have been disabled.
The pages in the sample come from different units. They do not represent the full scope or depth of the complete workbook and are offered for evaluation purposes.
Price
Online Workbook and Test: C$455.00 plus taxes.