Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System

One of the objectives of the Interpreter Certification Program is to increase the number of qualified interpreters available to the judicial system. Training is vital for interpreters in order to develop professional interpreting skills and to increase their knowledge of their working environment. By developing and polishing their interpreting skills, interpreters can also increase the probability of passing the certification examinations. Continuing education is also vital for interpreters even after they achieve certification in order to maintain and renew their certification while staying abreast of changes, professional issues, and new developments within the field.

Providing information about training opportunities is one way in which the program will further these goals. In this page, you will find notices about local and national training opportunities being offered through various professional organizations, language institutes and academic programs as they become available.

Online Simultaneous Interpreting Training

This language neutral course offered by the New Mexico Center for Language Access in partnership with the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts is for non-certified interpreter candidates who wish to prepare for the Consortium exams and those interested in continuing education credits. It provides a guided program of self-directed and intense practice in the techniques of vocabulary acquisition, fluency development, listening skills, and other components of simultaneous interpreting. This highly recommended course starts March 5th but an application should be submitted by February 6th. Please see the announcement for full details by clicking the link below:

NMCLA/CLAC Online Simultaneous Interpreting

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Language Neutral Consecutive and Note-Taking Workshop

Here is an opportunity to improve your consecutive interpreting mode by developing your memory and note-taking skills. This language neutral workshop designed for all levels and languages teaches the Rozan and Gillies note-taking methods to help develop memory and note-taking skills. It is a one day session and will take place March 17, 2012 in New York City. Follow the link below for complete information.

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Drexel University Judiciary Interpreting Program

Drexel University is offering an interpreter training program to prepare candidates for the Pennsylvania oral certification examinations. The curriculum covers judicial procedure, the interpreter’s role in judicial proceedings, the modes of interpretation and the ethical issues related to the profession. The curriculum consists of 8 modules taught on consecutive Saturdays starting January 21, 2012 thru March 17, 2012. It consists of in-class instruction combined with extensive practice directed by a faculty of qualified and certified interpreters. For more detailed information about costs, pre-qualification requirements and an application, follow the link below.

The following companies have been approved as providers of online training for interpreters seeking to become certified by the ICP and CEUs for already certified interpreters looking to comply with continuing education requirements in order to renew their certification. While there is no limit to the number of training hours which non-certified candidates are allowed to take online, certified interpreters seeking to comply with continuing education requirements are limited to no more than 6 CEUs of online training per each two-year compliance period.

Follow the links below to obtain detailed information about the variety of courses and training offered by each company.

The English Practice Examination kit is designed for interpreters of all languages. Like the Spanish Practice Kit, it is meant to provide purchasers with a step-by-step process to increase their understanding of what a Consortium performance examination is like, the scoring methodology used, a sample of a passing performance and a self-assessment of their skills and readiness to take the exam. This is a highly recommended and valuable tool that, if used according to the prescribed method, will give candidates a more realistic view of their level of readiness to successfully perform in the oral examination. For more information and to purchase a copy, please go to the National Center for State Courts Web site at:

The Consortium’s Spanish Practice Examination Kit is available for purchase. This kit is designed to give you an idea of what a real examination is like, explains the scoring methodology, provides an example of a passing performance, and allows you to make a self-assessment of your skill level and readiness to take a Consortium exam. You can obtain more information and order a copy by going to: