Certificate Program in Translation and Interpreting

The UNO Certificate Program in Translation and Interpreting (UNO-CPTI) is the only combined legal and healthcare translation and interpreting certificate program in the state of Louisiana. This non-degree program prepares students for careers as professional translators and interpreters of Spanish in both legal and healthcare fields. If you are bilingual and would like to enhance your professional skill set and forge a new career or if you are a working professional who desires developing additional skills to better serve clients and patients, the program will teach you the techniques and codes of practice in the fields of Spanish/English, English/Spanish translation and interpreting. 

There is growing national demand for translators and interpreters throughout government, corporate, and nonprofit sectors, but especially in legal, healthcare, and social services fields. Our program aims to provide fluent and proficient bilingual (Spanish-English) individuals with the skills they need to become professional legal or healthcare translators and interpreters in a variety of settings.

UNO-CPTI students also gain experience using professional translation and interpreting tools in our Languages lab. These digital resources, such as audio transceivers and interpreting booths and Atril Solutions’ Déjà Vu computer-aided translation software, are used by professional interpreters and translators in a variety of fields.

Our program also provides students with internships with local businesses and agencies so that they may practice what they learn and receive supervised, real-world training as professional translators and interpreters. Internships will also introduce students to professional networks that may lead to gainful employment once they leave us as well-trained translators and interpreters.

Program of Study

For the convenience of working students, translation courses are taught solely online, and interpreting courses, which will utilize the same high-tech audio equipment professional interpreters use, are taught on UNO’s lakefront campus on Saturdays. Students who are unable to attend on-campus class meetings may participate remotely with faculty permission. They will need a computer with a camera, speakers, and a microphone. 

Students generally take two courses a semester. Each semester is divided into two eight-week sessions. 

Students choosing to pursue a certificate in one area of specialization (legal or healthcare) can complete the program by taking five courses, including the internship. Students choosing to pursue a combined certificate in both areas of specialization (legal and healthcare), thereby increasing their hiring potential, can complete the program by taking seven courses, including the internship. 

Students will be awarded a certificate of completion once they complete the program. Should they choose to pursue a career as healthcare interpreters, they will also be qualified to apply for interpreter certification with the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). 

We are accepting applications for the Fall 2024 cohort!

Apply Now!

Deadline to submit applications: August 1st, 2023

Important Dates:

Fall 2023 Deadlines

August 11, 2023

• Deadline to pay tuition for the first eight-week class of Fall 2023

August 19, 2023

• CPTI 101 "Introduction to Translation" begins (8 weeks via Canvas)
• CPTI 105 "Legal Translation" begins (8 weeks via Canvas)
• CPTI 107-001 "Translations and Interpreting Internships" begins August 19, 2023 - September 30, 2023 

October 11, 2023

• Deadline to pay tuition for the second eight-week class of Fall 2023

October 14, 2023

• CPTI 102 "Fundamentals of Interpreting" begins (8 weeks on campus; Saturdays,10:00am-1:00pm)
• CPTI 106 "Interpreting in the Legal Setting" begins (8 weeks on campus; Saturdays, 10:00am-1:00pm)

December 2, 2023

• Last day of Fall 2023 classes

For more information, email CPTI@uno.edu or call 504.280.3241

Concentrations and Courses

Meet Our Faculty

Lisbeth Philip, PhD

Dr. Philip, a native of Venezuela, has worked as a translator and interpreter in Louisiana for over 25 years. She is a Certified Spanish Court Interpreter, a Registered Interpreter in French in the state of Louisiana, and a CHI Certified Healthcare Interpreter in the Spanish language. Dr. Philip also gives workshops for the Louisiana State Department of Education to train bilingual ELL and ESL teachers from Louisiana in Community Interpreting. She also designs and presents special skills workshops for interpreters under the auspices of the Louisiana Supreme Court and designs oral proficiency assessments in Spanish for the Office of Civil Services in New Orleans. 

Rey Romero, PhD, MPH

Dr. Rey Romero is Associate Professor of Spanish Linguistics at the University of Houston-Downtown, where he directs the Translation minor, the interpreting minor, and supervises the field experience course.  He is also Adjunct Professor of Legal Spanish at the University of Houston’s Law Center, and he has taught at Georgetown University, The University of Texas-Pan American (now UTRGV), Texas A&M University, and the University of Houston. 

Dr. Romero holds B.A.s in Spanish Language, Linguistics, and French Language from Rice University (2002), a Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics from Georgetown University (2009), an MA in Public Health from the University of Texas-Health Science Center (2021), and an Advanced Professional Analytic Linguist Certificate from Montclair State University (2020). Dr. Romero is certified by the American Translators Association (2018) and he holds a certificate in Medical Interpretation (2014) and another in Criminal Proceedings Interpretation (2017) from the Southern California School of Interpretation. He is also a licensed trainer for the Community Interpreter® (2018). He is currently pursuing an MA in Translation from Kent State University. 

M. Georgina Barvié

Ms. Barvié, a native of Argentina, is a Certified Court Interpreter in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana with over 20 years of experience in the Language Service Industry working as an interpreter, translator, and instructor. After obtaining a degree in International Business, Ms. Barvié worked in different areas of International Business such as privatizations, finance, legal and marketing. She attended the Southern California School of Interpretation (2008) where she completed the Court Interpreting Program (2008). Ms. Barvié taught for the Mississippi Administrative Office of the Courts, and she currently works for the United States Department of Justice as a Staff Interpreter for the New Orleans Immigration Court.  

As the founder of Interlinguas, LLC, Ms. Barvié continues teaching workshops for language professionals nationwide and consulting for cases in California and Mississippi.  She is also the Co-founder and Board Member of the Professional Association of Mississippi Interpreters and Translators (PAMIT). 

Admissions Criteria

Anyone proficient in Spanish and English who possesses either a high school diploma or GED qualifies for admission into the program. After we receive your application, which will include a written personal statement in English, our Languages faculty will review your written statement and then conduct a brief telephone interview with you, in both English and Spanish, to determine that you possess the required language skills.