The UNO Department of English and Foreign Languages is accepting applications for admission into its new Certificate Program in Translation and Interpreting, the only combined legal and healthcare translation and interpreting certificate program in the state of Louisiana.
This non-degree program will prepare students for careers as professional translators and interpreters of Spanish in both legal and healthcare fields. The program will appeal to professionals in legal and healthcare fields seeking additional skills to better serve clients and patients or any bilingual individuals who would like to enhance their professional skillset or forge a new career. It will teach students 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 areas,” said Lisbeth Philip, assistant professor of Spanish and coordinator of the program. “Our program aims to meet this demand by providing proficient bilingual individuals with the skills they need to become professional legal or healthcare translators and interpreters.”
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. She gives workshops for the Louisiana State Department of Education to train bilingual ELL and ESL teachers from Louisiana in Community Interpreting and designs and presents special skills workshops for interpreters under the auspices of the Louisiana Supreme Court. She also designs oral proficiency assessments in Spanish for the Office of Civil Services in New Orleans. Her skills and experience, she said, make her well-suited to train other professional translators and interpreters.
Anyone proficient in Spanish and English who possesses either a high school diploma or GED qualifies for admission into the program. 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 campus on Saturdays. The program will also provide students with an internship as the final course in the curriculum so that they may receive supervised, real-world training as professional translators and interpreters.
“These internships will also introduce students to professional networks that may lead to gainful employment once they leave us as well-trained translators and interpreters,” said Peter Schock, chair of the UNO Department of English and Foreign Languages.
Students choosing to pursue a certificate in one area of specialization—legal or healthcare—can complete the program by taking five courses over five eight-week sessions, 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 over seven eight-week sessions, including the internship.
For more information, including tuition pricing and start dates, and to complete an application, visit the UNO-CPTI website. Prospective students may also email the program at cpti@uno.edu if they have any questions.
