Continuing Education Training
Alberta Court Interpreters Association (ACIA) has striven since its inception to offer the foundational skills necessary to meet the membership requirements of our association. This was done predominantly via a series of workshops and training programs. While these were delivered face-to-face in previous years, during the pandemic, ACIA recognized the need to constantly develop the skills, knowledge, and attitudinal pieces necessary for competent court interpreting had to be addressed through an innovative web-based learning program.
Delivered over the course of several weeks, it comprised six modules. These modules relied upon various digital materials, including mini lectures offered by the instructors and guests, some of whom were highly regarded officers of the court. For example, the Hon. Anne J. Brown, Provincial Court Judge, Criminal Court/Regional Division, agreed to be interviewed to address how the courts view the interpreter’s role in legal settings, especially in courtrooms. She stressed the importance of this training to ensure interpreters working in the Alberta Courts have a common set of competencies. All the modules are all built upon each other, included in each, a case assessment that monitored the ability of interpreters to demonstrate their learning. The modules addressed the role and responsibilities of a court interpreter, ethical decision-making, acquiring the necessary vocabulary across a range of courts, be that family, civil, or criminal, followed by interpreting techniques, including note taking, consecutive, and simultaneous interpreting.
Alberta Court Interpreters Association (ACIA) has also recognized the need for continued advanced workshops and presentations to build upon the foundational skills and knowledge. Any profession requires professional development, and court interpreters are not exempt from that professional obligation.
We look forward to the next series of training, that may involve face to face or a blend of online and in-person training. As trainers, we thank all of the participants for their patience in learning how to navigate the online learning platform and for their feedback on how to improve future offerings. As so much of our interpreting has moved to online platforms, the necessity of learning online has become even more relevant to us.
Dr. Debra Russel and Alex Zisman