The ATA Chronicle - May/June 2021 - 33

IF
Spanish for court and medical

Training: Although some

interpreting scenarios at

groups and practice in their

interpreters, the same cannot

training opportunities are

various levels of difficulty.

language of expertise.

be said for certain languages.

language-specific, mostly

These materials could also

For example, there are very

in Spanish, the majority of

include different dialects in

costs, offering more

limited resources for court

available court and health

languages where training

scholarships to attend

interpreting in languages such

care interpreter training is

materials are scarce.

trainings and waiving some

as Arabic, Vietnamese, and

language neutral. The same

of the exam fees for first-

Russian, be they glossaries

often applies to training

time exam takers might

or practice interpreting

offered during conferences.

scenarios. While material

Interpreting is a profession

in English can be useful in

that relies heavily on core

training for the simultaneous

skills and less on soft skills.

part of the exam, bilingual

Although there is valuable

material is needed to practice

learning to be had from

consecutive interpreting.

attending training focused

Differences in the judicial

on codes of ethics or cultural

systems of various countries

equivalence, it's skill-

add another layer of difficulty.

based training that actually

Court materials from other

prepares us for interpreting

countries, which can be found
online, are not very useful for
an interpreter trying to get
certified in the U.S.

Having more certified
interpreters in as
many languages as
possible is a winwin situation for all
stakeholders.

in our language or passing
certification exams that
test those core skills. An
additional compounding

other than Spanish. This
support could come through

specific to certain languages.

scholarships to attend
training sessions for trainers,

offering quality language
access in all the
languages spoken by LEP
players such as certification
bodies, state judicial

might be less difficult.

departments, and health

While there is very limited

authorities need to step up

material available to use

their efforts. They need to

for consecutive practice,

motivate interpreters and

some material, although

agencies alike to provide

not originally prepared

resources and support for

for interpreter training, is

non-Spanish interpreters

available online in languages

who want to be certified.
Funding is also needed to

Spanish. However, even if

support initiatives aimed at

some practice scenarios

building language-specific

were created specifically for

training materials. Such

interpreter training, these

materials could be in the

are often very primitive and

form of online training or

inadequate for certification

books with accompanying

exam preparation.

audio files offering practice

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hard to pass it the first time.
Advocacy efforts for the
profession and certified
interpreters might also
help the industry overcome
existing challenges to
obtaining certification. Such
advocacy could be in the
form of client education or

and interpreters.

support trainers who can

who can offer training

If we're serious about

to take the exam and work

between certification bodies

It's also crucial to

very few qualified trainers

How Do We Overcome
All This?

encourage more interpreters

increased communication

offer training in languages

interpreting, the situation

other than English and

It's skill-based training
that actually prepares
us for interpreting
in our language or
passing certification
exams that test those
core skills.

factor is the issue of having

communities, then major
For health care

In terms of certification

or through mentoring and
observing practicing trainers
in language neutral or

Having more certified
interpreters in as many
languages as possible is a
win-win situation for all
stakeholders. However, the
existing obstacles make this

Spanish trainings.

goal quite far from being

Regarding existing

realized. It's only with

language neutral training

concerted efforts from all

and continuing education
opportunities, arrangements
could be made so interpreters
for a specific language could
work together in small

A Win-Win Situation

those concerned that we can
step closer to quality
language access in the
near future.

Note: Thanks to Russian interpreter and trainer, Svetlana Ruth,
for her valuable input during the preparation of this column.
Yasmin Alkashef, CT is an ATA-certified
Arabic>English translator, certified health care
interpreter, and registered court interpreter,
originally from Cairo, Egypt. She has a PhD in
translation and interpreting studies. Now based in
Oregon, she is a member of ATA's Interpreters Division.
yasmin_alkashef@yahoo.com
Interpreters are a vital part of ATA. This column is designed to
offer insights and perspectives from professional interpreters.
American Translators Association

33
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