We are pleased to announce that ELA and CCPD will host another round of the Court Interpreter Internship Program in Fall 2024, 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

Two cycles of 20-hour (five Fridays) introductory programs are offered in Fall 2024. 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/3ZiRv8J) for more information about the program.

The first (Sept – Oct) session takes place on the following dates:

• Friday, September 20, 2024 (@ OCA)
• Friday, September 27, 2024 (@ NYC courts, exact locations TBA)
• Friday, October 4, 2024 (@ NYC courts, exact locations TBA)
• Friday, October 11, 2024 (@ NYC courts, exact locations TBA)
• Friday, October 18, 2024 (@ OCA)
• There will be an optional orientation meeting on Friday, September 13, 2024 (from 9am-10am) in Room B-114 or Zoom (HyFlex).

The second (Nov – Dec) session takes place on the following dates:

• Friday, November 1, 2024 (@ OCA)
• Friday, November 8, 2024 (@ NYC courts, exact locations TBA)
• Friday, November 15, 2024 (@ NYC courts, exact locations TBA)
• Friday, November 22, 2024 (@ NYC courts, exact locations TBA)
• Friday, December 6, 2024 (@ OCA)
• There will be an optional orientation meeting on Friday, October 25, 2024 (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 the following deadlines.

• The first (Sept – Oct) session: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
• The second (Nov – Dec) session: Wednesday, October 16, 2024

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 courtInterpreterInternship@nycourts.gov

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 (tnagano@lagcc.cuny.edu / 718-482-5484 / B-234FF) or Yacquelin Nava-Shahin (ynava@lagcc.cuny.edu) at the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD).