This certificate program, sponsored by the Division of Extended Education, trains you for county, state, and federal examinations required for employment as certified interpreters and translators. It also prepares you for positions in which Spanish/English interpreters are used by government agencies and private businesses in today's bilingual, bicultural world, including positions as telephone interpreters with Language Line Services (http://www.languageline.com/careers.php3).

This specific program is unique to Cal State L.A and there are no affiliated interpretation and translation programs at other Cal State campuses.

This program consists of seven courses. The program instructs students in how to sight translate, interpret consecutively as well as simultaneously, and how to correctly translate legal, medical, business, and literary documents. The final program course also consists of intensive preparation and mock test sessions for the state or federal certification written and oral exams that are necessary to work as an interpreter for the courts.

If interested in this program, come visit us during our Open House at Extended Education which will be held on:

Thursday, May 22, 2008 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Please RSVP by Monday, May 19, 2008.
To be held in the King Hall Lecture Room 2

Placement Exam dates:

Saturday, June 7, 2008, 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Exam Cost: $20

The fee must be paid prior to taking the test. Call (323) 343-4900 or 4918 to pay for the test.
Tests will be held in Salazar Hall. Please call (323) 343-4922 for the room number.
Parking is $0.50 per hour or $6 all day. Bring quarters!!
Click here for the Campus Parking map.

Spring Quarter 2008 courses start Saturday, March 29^th, 2008 for the Legal Interpretation and Translation program.

Employment Opportunities

Interested in Teaching for us? The Division of Extended Education invites application for instructor positions in the Legal Interpretation and Translation: English-Spanish Certificate Program. Read more about it in this Employment Flyer.

Positions exist in a variety of areas: federal, state, superior, and municipal courts; California state administrative hearings; labor-related hearings; government agencies (e.g., Immigration and Naturalization Service); medical centers; insurance companies; financial institutions; international corporations; law enforcement agencies; private businesses; and consulting assignments. Salaries range from $30,000 to $50,000 a year and more.

Admission Requirements

• Completion of a minimum of 54 quarter units (36 semester units) of post-secondary education or equivalent knowledge and experience to demonstrate the ability to perform upper-division course work.
• Successful completion of a bilingual placement test in the following areas: reading comprehension, spelling and grammar; writing; listening comprehension; dictation; short translations; speaking fluency, and diction.
• Applicants with California State Administrative Hearing certification may take courses or complete the program without taking the proficiency test by providing a photocopy of their certification.

Certificate Requirements
The program consists of seven required courses (28 non-degree quarter units) in legal translation and interpretation and three optional preparatory courses (9 non-degree quarter units) for students whose bilingual skills need improvement. Two optional medical translation courses (6 non-degree quarter units) are also offered for students who wish to work in medical fields.

None of the courses may be taken concurrently. Students may not take more than one quarter off consecutively without being dropped from the program. In order to be readmitted, they must re-take the placement test or repeat their last course. Virtually all of the courses have been approved by the Judicial Council of California for Court Interpreters Minimum Continuing Education credit (CIMCE).

Before being admitted to the program, students must take a bilingual placement test. The results of the test determine whether they may enter the program directly or whether they must first take one or more of the preparatory courses.

Program Content

Required Courses
ML 790A	Legal Translation: Contrastive Analysis of English-Spanish Grammatical Structures	4 Units
ML 790B	Legal Translation: Elements, Foundation and Style	4 Units
ML 791A	Translating and Interpreting for Criminal/Penal Proceedings	4 Units
ML 791B	Translating and Interpreting for Criminal/Penal Proceedings	4 Units
ML 792A	Translating and Interpreting for Civil Proceedings and Administrative Hearings	4 Units
ML 792B	Translating and Interpreting for Civil Proceedings and Administrative Hearings	4 Units
ML 793	Legal Interpretation and Translation Laboratory Practicum	4 Units

Optional (Preparatory) Courses
ML 700A	Beginning Grammar for Legal Interpreters and Translators	3 Units
ML 700B	Intermediate Grammar for Legal Interpreters and Translators	3 Units
ML 700C	Advanced Grammar for Legal Interpreters and Translators	3 Units

Optional (Medical) Courses
ML 898/50	Introduction to Medical Interpretation and Translation	3 Units
ML 898/51	Fundamentals of Medical Interpretation	3 Units

Advisement and Information
Contact Joann Edmond
Associate Director of Programs
Division of Extended Education
Voicemail: (323) 343-4922
Email: jedmon2@cslanet.calstatela.edu