Project CLIMB's Legal Interpreter Training Program

  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you have questions about the application process, please see if you are able to find your answer below. We will continue adding to this page, addressing questions as they come up.

• What are the requirements to be eligible for participation in the Legal Interpreter Community of Learning?

  Minimum criteria 

  • 3 or more years of interpreting experience working in a variety of settings, with a variety of deaf people
  • References that indicate readiness to engage in training to work in court and other legal settings
  • Attendance at the onsite training in Colorado, May 30 - June 2, 2019. 

   Desired criteria  

  • Evidence of prior legal training
  • Experience and comfort with online learning/distance education
  • Evidence of commitment to creating inclusive and effective training opportunities for interpreters from marginalized backgrounds
• What is the financial cost to participate?

  Participants will be expected to pay the $200 registration fee to attend the onsite training, Shifting Perspectives: Navigating the Legal System Through Deaf Eyes. *Information can be found here.

  Project CLIMB will cover the participant's overnight accommodations in a shared suite on campus for the onsite training and orientation. Participants will also be provided a subsidy to cover travel costs.

  *Please do not register for the training until you have been notified if you have been accepted or not into a community of learning.  

  There will be no costs to participate in the 9 month, online community of learning. 

• What if I don’t satisfy the minimum criteria, are there other ways to be involved?

  Project CLIMB will continue to disseminate information through webinars and via our website. You can also sign up for our email distribution list at projectclimb@unco.edu  to stay up to date with Project CLIMB activities. 

• What information should I have ready in order to complete the application?

  Before applying please have the following information ready:

  • Three references  (name and email address, at least one Deaf person reference and one interpreter reference, interpreter who works in legal settings preferred)

• When is the application deadline?

  The application is now closed.

• What is the time commitment for participants in the Legal Interpreter Communities of Learning?

  This training is scheduled to kick off after the on-site training, Shifting Perspectives: Navigating the Legal System Through Deaf Eyes, May 30 - June 1, 2019, and will continue through Spring 2021*Information can be found here.

• How will participants access course content?

  Course content will be delivered through Canvas, an online learning management system. Courses are broken down into modules that address specific, but related content areas. Once selected, applicants will receive directions for how to enroll in the legal train-the-trainer curriculum.

• What is the structure for completing coursework?

  Selected applicants will access content as part of a community of learning. Each community of learning will be facilitated by an experienced legal interpreter trainer. Content is broken down into modules that address specific, but related content areas.

• How long will I have to complete each module?

  Participants are expected to create time and space in their schedule to engage fully in the online training program. The online training, is expected to take 5-7 hours each week. Participants will be expected to maintain contact with their facilitator and maintain engagement in the learning community.

• What is a community of learning?

  A community of learning is a group of people who work together to solve a persistent problem or to improve practice in an area that is important to them and who deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis.

  For the purpose of Project CLIMB, our communities of learning will bring together interpreter colleagues from various backgrounds to improve our practice in, and deepen our knowledge and expertise of interpreting in the legal setting.

• What content will the curriculum cover?

  This legal training provides all participants a consistent and comprehensive foundation for interpreting in the legal specialty. An overview of the American judicial system, criminal law, civil law, and interpreting in a wide range of legal settings are just a few of the topics covered. Participants will be given a structure and approach to discussing the process and product of interpreting work. Dialogic mentoring practices will be employed by facilitators to support you and your colleagues through their professional growth in the legal specialty while focusing on areas of strength to build skills.

• When will I know if my application has been accepted/declined?

  Each application will undergo anonymous review by a team of raters using predetermined selection criteria. Applicants for this cohort will be screened based on the minimum criteria and desirable characteristics listed above. 

  Applicants will receive notification of decision by early April, 2019. 

• What technology is needed to participate?

  You will need access to a computer, webcam, and high-speed internet access that can record and stream video without lagging.

  Canvas supports the last two versions of every browser release, but it has been our experience that Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari work the best in Canvas. We highly recommend updating to the newest version of whatever browser you are using as well as the most up-to-date Flash plug-in.

   You may use a mobile device (cell phone, tablet, etc.) to access course content, but you will have a more user friendly experience if you access content using a desktop/laptop computer.

• Is the training eligible for CEUs?

  Yes. The University of Northern Colorado’s Department of American Sign Language and Interpreting Studies is an RID CMP Sponsor.

  Participants can expect to complete 110 hours of training and 11 RID CEUs. No partial CEUs will be rewarded. There is no cost for processing CEUs. Participants must successfully complete the onsite AND online components of the program to be awarded CEUs. No partial CEUs will be awarded. 

• When will the training begin?

  This training is scheduled to kick off after the on-site training, Shifting Perspectives: Navigating the Legal System Through Deaf Eyes, May 30 - June 1, 2019, on campus at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado.*Information can be found here.

  Project CLIMB participants will remain on campus to receive a day-long orientation to the Legal Interpreter Training Communities of Learning on Sunday, June 2, 2019.

• What if I’m not selected, or I am not able/interested in signing up for Project CLIMB at this time. Will the resources of the Project be made available in some other way to the general public?

  Yes. Project CLIMB, Cultivating Legal Interpreters from Minority Backgrounds, is a University of Northern Colorado, Department of American Sign Language & Interpreter Studies project that is funded by the US Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration (Award #H160D160001).

  As such, all materials and resources will be made available to the public at the completion of the Project. Some resources will be disseminated to the public as they become available.

• Have a question for us that is not answered above? Please contact us.

  By Videophone: 720-216-2662

  By Phone: 970-351-3161

  By Email: projectclimb@unco.edu

  By Facebook & Twitter: @UNCProjectCLIMB