This is the written part of the Para-Legal Interpreting Certificate exam. I covers primarily the material learned in the lecture courses 301 Canadian Law for Interpreters and 302 Introduction to Para-Legal Interpreting. But there may also be questions based on the tutorials.
A two part exam — one hour written (code 930) and forty -five minute computer-delivered oral which includes a short sight translation and bilingual consecutive interpreting.
Criminal Law, Civil Law, and Legal Language & Terminology.
This course was previously delivered by the Society of Translators and Interpreters of BC (STIBC) as preparation for their Court Interpreting Certificate examination and for twenty years before that by Vancouver Community College as (VCC) part of their Court Interpreting Certificate Program — same course same text book. The textbook was originally written by a lawyer and then re-written by an experienced court interpreter/law student (who is now Head of School at VanSIT).
If you took this course at STIBC we give full course credit upon your passing a one hour written exam at VanSIT. Neither STIBC nor VCC had an exam for this course specific to this course. The exam fee was formerly included in the STIBC course fee for VanSIT students and rebated to us on your behalf. However, STIBC had a change of heart and declined to make the rebate for many students. The exam fee is $50 ,which included in the course fee for VanSIT students.
Legal, ethical and business aspects; managing the client, reading & homework. Plus some court observation is required.
Sight translation is the reading aloud in the target language of a document written in the source language. We focus exclusively on the sight translation of English language documents that one receives from a lawyer. Often a client will be signing an affidavit written in English and the lawyer must be sure that the affiant (the one signing) understands exactly what is being sworn to. Other times the client needs to understand what is contained in documents going to or coming from the Court or opposing counsel.
Interpreting in legal offices starts with the initial conversation between the lawyer and a prospective client. These meetings can be long and complex as the lawyer tries to obtain accurate and complete information about the case and the prospective client tries to obtain information about the services being offered by the lawyer.