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Mandarin Court Certified Interpreter training
Offered by L.A. Institute of Translation and Interpretation
An interpreter is a job that links not only Chinese language and English language, but also the immigrants and mainstream society. With their bilingual expertise, they help break down language barrier so that there won't be anyone suffering from injustice just because they do not speak the language of mainstream society.
"Nobody can become bilingual in a short time," says Dr. Jenny Park, President of L.A. Institute of Translation and Interpretation. "One becomes bilingual only under fortunate circumstances, for example, living in two cultures and speaking two languages for a long time." That's why the interpreters are paid highly in American society. Court certified interpreters work with lawyers of the mainstream society and make $60,000 to $100,000 a year. "Some even say it is a better job than a lawyer, because an interpreter is not subject to as much pressure of losing the case as a lawyer does."
While the relationship between the U.S. and China is expanding and the number of immigrants into the U.S. from China is increasing, there are only 24 certified Mandarin interpreters in L.A. "The demand is huge. It is a blue ocean. In business field, everyone thinks China is a great labor and market and an interpreter is a must to communicate with each other," says Samuel Chong, instructor of court interpretation at L.A. Institute of Translation and Interpretation. Sam studied Economics at UC Berkeley and earned his M.A. from London School of Economics. He is a court certified Mandarin interpreter.
"The state government gives a test to certify qualified interpreters," says Sam. "it is consisted of two parts: a written test and an oral test. You have to pass the written test to qualify for an oral test." It is not an easy test to pass especially because of simultaneous interpretation, where the translator has to interpret simultaneously as the lawyers are speaking fast, and that's why there is a need for rigorous training in a place like L.A. Institute of Translation and Interpretation.
"L.A. Institute of Translation and Interpretation has abundant materials and information from long teaching experience in Korean and Spanish court interpreting." The Institute was approved by the state government to offer One Year Certificate Program in Translation and Interpretation as well as M.A. in Translation and Interpretation.
New classes will start on August 29. Court Certified Interpreter Sam will teach "Sight Translation" on Wednesdays 7pm-10pm, and Court Registered Interpreter Daniel Chan will teach "Consecutive Interpretation" on Tuesdays 7pm-10pm. Each course is $390 per a 10-week quarter. When the student completes one year course, a Certificate of Translation and Interpretation is awarded. Of course the student can take the court certification anytime when he feels he is ready.
'But in order to function well in the court system, you would normally need about one year of training."
"This is a great job. I used to be a college professor , but now I enjoy this job very much, because it gives so much financial and professional freedom as well as a chance to serve disadvantaged people, " says Dr.Park, who used to teach Political Science at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. "You will always meet new people, learn new vocabulary and new things, and broaden your understanding of the world." To know more about the classes, call 1-866-327-1004, or visit www.latranslation.com.
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