Legal Interpreter Training Program

In a facilitated community of learning, the Legal Interpreter Training (LIT) participants worked through a dynamic, interactive, and bilingual (ASL & English) online training curriculum. The curriculum provided a nine-month legal foundation needed for ASL/English interpreters in the legal specialty. The training included a structure and approach to talking about the work and supporting colleagues in their professional growth. The curriculum was broken down into modules that covered a wide range of topics, that resulted in a comprehensive training for program participants.

Program Information

• Program Results

  This innovative LIT program served to increase the number and quality of interpreters in legal settings. Career paths for practitioners from the following underrepresented communities in the specialization in legal interpreting were increased. 

  

  Of the 176 participants across two cohorts, 139 participants (79%) were Project CLIMB's target audience of Deaf, Coda, & POC.

  

  Of the 176 participants, 83 participants (47.1%) were Project CLIMB's target audience of Deaf & Coda.

  

  Of the 176 participants, 88 participants (50%) were Project CLIMB's target audience of BIPOC.

  Participation was open to any interpreter that met the minimum criteria. Applications were accepted to ensure that communities of learning (COL) included individuals with diverse backgrounds. Project CLIMB's communities of learning focused on individuals who were prepared and ready to commit to an intensive online training program.

• Program Map

  The LIT program covered a wide range of topics that resulted in a comprehensive training for interpreters working in legal and court settings. The curriculum focused on foundational knowledge of legal systems, interpreting in the legal system, and techniques and approaches to talking about the work with colleagues. 

  The curriculum consisted of 19 modules. The Legal Interpreter Training modules are:

  • Module 1: Overview of the American Judicial System
    
  • Module 2: Systems Thinking for Legal Interpreters
    
  • Module 3: Introduction to Criminal Law
    
  • Module 4: Introduction to Civil Law
    
  • Module 5: Roles, Responsibilities, Principles, and Protocols of Legal Interpreters
    
  • Module 6: Domestic Violence
    
  • Module 7: Family Court
    
  • Module 8: Juvenile Court
    
  • Module 9: Probate Court
    
  • Module 10: Adult Mental Health and Forensic Interpreting
    
  • Module 11: Note-taking
    
  • Module 12: Consecutive Interpreting
    
  • Module 13: Interpreting for Law Enforcement Investigations and Interrogations
    
  • Module 14: Interpreting for Client-Attorney Interactions
    
  • Module 15: Interpreting for Deaf Juveniles
    
  • Module 16: Interpreting Lines of Questioning
    
  • Module 17: Interpreting Depositions
    
  • Module 18: Interpreting for Deaf Jurors
    
  • Module 19: Engaging in Observation of Legal Proceedings

  The Program Map for the LIT program served as an “at-a-glance” reference guide that participants used to see the overall flow for program's modules.

• Time Commitment

  The 19 module curriculum totaled 285 hours of training and took participants an average of 15-20 hours per week over the nine-month training.

Program Cohorts

Cohort One (2019-2020)

by first name; NOTE: 1st column are first names starting with A-C, 2nd column is D-J, 3rd column is J-N, and 4th column is P-T.