We are pleased to announce that ELA and CCPD will host the Court Interpreter Internship Program in Spring 2025, in collaboration with the NYS Unified Court System. This internship will be a great opportunity for students interested in using their bilingual skill for careers related to language justice in law, justice, and public service.

Schedule

The 20-hour program is offered on five Fridays in April and May in Spring 2025. All internship sessions take place from 9:00am to 1:00pm on Fridays at the NYS Court System’s OCA Office in Manhattan and different family/civil/criminal courts across NYC. See the internship curriculum (https://bit.ly/3EBx3Y9) for more information about the program.

The session takes place on the following dates:

• Friday, April 4, 2025, 2024 (@ OCA)
• Friday, April 11, 2025 (@ NYC courts, exact locations TBA)
• Friday, April 25, 2025 (@ NYC courts, exact locations TBA)
• Friday, May 2, 2025 (@ NYC courts, exact locations TBA)
• Friday, May 9, 2025 (@ OCA)
• There will be an optional orientation meeting on Friday, March 28, 2025 (from 9am-10am) in Room B-114 or Zoom (HyFlex).

Please note that this is an unpaid internship program. The Center for Career & Professional Development will provide free internship preparation training for participants and professional development, but the interns will not be paid for participating in this internship.

Eligibilities

Eligibility for this internship program is following:

• Interested in court interpreting as a career
• Proficient in English and another language (if you are not sure about your proficiency level, visit the Modern Language Lab (B-206) for a language assessment test before application)
• Current student at LaGuardia Community College

The NYS Court System is especially interested in the following high-needs languages (but they are also open to speakers of other languages): Albanian, Arabic, ASL, Bengali, Bosnian, Burmese, Cantonese, French, German, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Karen, Korean, Mandarin, Nepali, Pashtu, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Twi, and Vietnamese

Those who have completed the internship program will have an opportunity to take the Per Diem (part-time) Court Interpreter examination and register as a per-diem court interpreter. The pay rate for part-time interpreters is $300 per day and $170 for a half day. Only a high school diploma is required to become a Per Diem Court Interpreter (but you should be able to work legally in the U.S.).

Application process

Students should submit their cover letter and resume through this online form (https://bit.ly/LaGCC_CourtInterpret) by Friday, March 21, 2025.

If you are not a current student (e.g., alumni), you can still apply for the internship program directly to the NYS Court System. You should submit your application materials (cover letter, resume, and your unofficial transcript) to [email protected]

More information about court interpreting as a career

See the websites below for more information about the internship program and the Per Diem Court Interpreter position.

• NYS Court Interpreters website: https://www.nycourts.gov/courtinterpreter/
• Example of Consecutive Interpreting at the court (Spanish): https://youtu.be/tFsKulFcauY
• Example of Simultaneous Interpreting at the court (Spanish): https://youtu.be/2vfpRO2mw9k
• Per Diem Court Interpreter Sample Exams: https://ww2.nycourts.gov/COURTINTERPRETER/SampleExams.shtml

Inquiries

For inquiries, contact Tomonori Nagano at ([email protected] / 718-482-5484 / B-234FF) or Yacquelin Nava-Shahin ([email protected]) at the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD).