Continuing Education for Court Certified Interpreters

Interpreting in criminal courts requires the interpreters to deeply familiar with court procedures, and especially waiver and plea forms. This course will get interpreters familiar with procedures involved in misdemeanor and felony court proceedings. The instructor will go over a wide variety of forms, including Advisement of Rights, Waiver and Plea forms used for misdemeanor, felony and DUI matters. The instructor will explain related legal jargon contained in the plea forms and discuss the most accurate renditions. Students will get to practice sight translation of the Waiver and Plea forms, as well as simultaneous interpreting skills in this topic. 

To get interpreters to understand criminal court procedures and to familiarize themselves with each stage of the criminal proceeding. Student will be able to accurately sight translate different types of plea forms and confidently master simultaneous interpreting skills related to these forms.

This class consists of a total of three hours of instruction. There will be one 15-minute break during the session. After completing the class, students will be credited with 3 instructor-led CIMCEs.

April 27th, 2025 9AM to 12PM Pacific Time

Chinese idioms have a long history, some have existed for over 2000 years. They are mostly coming from famous Chinese literature or events. It usually has different grammar structure from that of modern Chinese. Chinese idioms come up in formal speeches, witness testimonies and written statements. In this class, the instructor will go over at commonly used Chinese idioms, along with a variety of synonyms and antonyms. The instructor will teach the students how to make an educated guess for the meanings of those unfamiliar idioms. 

This course is designed to help students familiar with common Chinese idioms. Help the students to understand the meaning of those commonly used Chinese idioms. Students can be able to translate or interpret these Chinese idioms with ease. 

This class consists of a total of two hours of instruction. There will be one 10-minute break during the session. After completing the class, students will be credited with 2 instructor-led CIMCEs.

April 27th, 2025 1PM to 3PM Pacific Time

Medical terminology comes up in a lot of legal proceedings, such as depositions, restraining order hearings, domestic violence cases and trials. This course is designed to get court certified interpreters familiar with common types of personal injuries, and other terminology that come up regularly in domestic violence, assault and personal injury cases. The instructor will cover high-frequency medical terminology in different legal settings, going over different scenarios in detail and explaining how to interpret certain problematic medical terminology. 

Part one of this course will focus on personal injury scenarios, such as auto accidents and slip-and-fall cases. This class will be conducted in both English and Mandarin. 

Each class consists of a total of two hours of instruction and it is conducted in both English and Mandarin. There will be one 10-min break during the session. After completing the class, students will be credited with 2 instructor-led CIMCEs.

May 13, 2025 6PM to 8PM Pacific Time

Medical terminology comes up in a lot of legal proceedings, such as depositions, restraining order hearings, domestic violence cases and trials. This course is designed to get court certified interpreters familiar with common types of personal injuries, and other terminology that come up regularly in domestic violence, assault and personal injury cases. The instructor will cover high-frequency medical terminology in different legal settings, going over different scenarios in detail and explaining how to interpret certain problematic medical terminology. 

Part two of this course will focus on work injuries and injuries from crimes. This class will be conducted in both English and Mandarin. 

The class consists of a total of two hours of instruction and it is conducted in both English and Mandarin. There will be one 10-min break during the session. After completing the class, students will be credited with 2 instructor-led CIMCEs.

June 10th, 2025 6PM to 8PM (Pacific Time)

Interpreting jury instructions during a trial is one of the most challenging task for court certified interpreters. Sometimes interpreters have to cope with fast speed and background noise, such as telephones and printers. Getting familiar with the content of jury instructions is vital in giving court interpreters confidence to tackle this difficult work. This course is designed to enhance simultaneous interpretation skills and improve competence and speed, with the aid of pre-recorded jury instructions specifically created for this purpose.

This class consists of a total of three hours of instruction. There will be one 15-min break during the session. After completing the class, students will be credited with 3 instructor-led CIMCEs.

July 19th, 2025 9AM to 12PM Pacific Time

Interpreting restraining order hearings in court can be very challenging, with high emotional stakes for the parties involved. Students will be given materials such as restraining order forms and statements to interpret. The instructor will go over the restraining order forms in detail, explaining how to interpret certain words and legal jargon. The goal of this course is to get Mandarin court certified interpreters familiar with the restraining order hearing procedure and associated vocabulary, so that they can interpret such proceedings with ease. 

This class consists of a total of three hours of instruction and it is conducted in both English and Mandarin. There will be one 15-min break during the session. After completing the class, students will be credited with 3 instructor-led CIMCEs.

July 19th, 2025 1PM to 4PM Pacific Time

This course covers strategies for understanding a wide range of accents and regional dialects, both in English and Mandarin Chinese. The English part of the program will include accents and regionalisms from across North America and Britain, as well as accents and verbal patterns for non-native speakers. Part I focuses on Chinese accents, on the mainland and overseas. Part II focuses on native and non-native accents and dialects in English.

The instructor will present the class with video and audio material, featuring various accents. Students will attempt to interpret and will critique the accents. Students will also have the opportunity to discuss their own dialect and share experiences in dealing with English and Chinese accents.

This class consists of three hours of teacher instruction. There will be two 10-minute breaks during the session.

August 17th, 2025 9AM to 12PM(Pacific Time)

This course covers strategies for understanding a wide range of accents and regional dialects, both in English and Mandarin Chinese. The English part of the program will include accents and regionalisms from across North America and Britain, as well as accents and verbal patterns for non-native speakers. Part I focuses on Chinese accents, on the mainland and overseas. Part II focuses on native and non-native accents and dialects in English.  

The instructor will present the class with video and audio material, featuring various accents. Students will attempt to interpret and will critique the accents. Students will also have the opportunity to discuss their own dialect and share experiences in dealing with English and Chinese accents.

This class consists of two hours of teacher instruction. There will be one 10-minute break during the session.

August 17th, 2025 1PM to 3PM(Pacific Time)

December 14th, 2025 1PM to 3PM (Pacific Time)

This course covers professional and ethical standards for court interpreters. Topics include how to address the court and other protocol, as well as ethical guidance for navigating the many challenging dilemmas court interpreters face on a regular basis. This course has two parts. Part I focuses on professional standards and guidance. Part II focuses on real-life scenarios and discussions.

The instructor will review the ethics manual for professional interpreters, as well as the basic rules of court. Once interpreters complete the course, they will have the tools to make confident decisions in a wide variety of ethical and professional situations.

This class consists of three hours of teacher instruction. There will be two 10-minute breaks during the session.

November 15th, 2024 9AM-12PM Pacific Time

December 27th, 2025 9AM-12PM Pacific Time

This course covers professional and ethical standards for court interpreters. Topics include how to address the court and other protocol, as well as ethical guidance for navigating the many challenging dilemmas court interpreters face on a regular basis. This course has two parts. Part I focuses on professional standards and guidance. Part II focuses on real-life scenarios and discussions.

The instructor will present the class with 12 different scenarios, with the students breaking into discussion groups afterward to examine the options and responses. Once interpreters complete the course, they will have the tools to make confident decisions in a wide variety of ethical and professional situations.

This class consists of two hours of instruction. There will be one 10-minute break during the session.

November 15th, 2025 1PM-3PM Pacific Time

December 27th, 2025 1PM-3PM Pacific Time

Chinese culture can seem mysterious, but it’s also a big part of world culture. From Confucius to the Monkey King to Mulan, China has contributed greatly to global art, literature, and thought. This course will survey a wide array of Chinese cultural topics, including Daoism, philosophy, astrology, wedding and funeral customs, and common taboos. 

This course is designed to introduce students to Chinese philosophy, Daoism, astrology and other topics on Chinese culture. 

This class consists of three hours of instruction. There will be one 15-minute break during the session.

October 12th, 2025 9AM to 12PM(Pacific Time)

December 14th, 2025 9AM to12PM(Pacific Time)

This course covers rules of thumb for translating legal material, including structure and format, as well as the “Dancer in Shackles” principle, how to maintain accuracy, and strategies for translating exceptionally long sentences common in legal documents. Part I deals with English-to-Chinese translation. Part II covers translating from Chinese to English.

The instructor will review all of the rules of legal translation, including best practices and strategies, as well as sample passages from real legal documents which the students will translate and compare.

This class consists of three hours of teacher instruction. There will be two 10-minute breaks during the session.

Available in 2026

This course covers rules of thumb for translating legal material, including structure and format, as well as the “Dancer in Shackles” principle, how to maintain accuracy, and strategies for translating exceptionally long sentences common in legal documents. Part I deals with English-to-Chinese translation. Part II covers translating from Chinese to English.

The instructor will review all of the rules of legal translation, including best practices and strategies, as well as sample passages from real legal documents which the students will translate and compare.

This class consists of two hours of instruction. There will be one 10-minute break during the session.

Available in 2026

Drugs terminology often appears in court hearings. There are many types of drugs and the drug code words are even more. This course is to help Mandarin/Cantonese interpreters getting familiar with common types of drugs, drug effects, drug related crimes and drug slang.  Most importantly this course offered in both English and Chinese, so that Mandarin/Cantonese interpreters will benefit from it. 

This course is designed to help students familiar with common types of drugs, drug effects, drug related crimes and drug slang. Once students complete the self-study material, they will be able to interpret or translate the drug terminology with ease and confidence. 

This course consists of a total of five hours of self-study.

This course is designed to get Mandarin/Cantonese interpreters familiar with terminology in unlawful detainer cases. It covers reasons for eviction, defense for eviction, unlawful detainer court process and terminology used in a wide variety of U.D. cases. 

This course is designed to help students become familiar with terminology used in unlawful detainer cases. They will learn about the eviction process and unlawful detainer court process.  Once students complete the self-study material, they will be able to interpret or translate terminology in unlawful detainer cases with greater ease and confidence. 

This course consists of a total of five hours of self-study.

Languages evolve over time. Recently, a lot of new Mandarin words have popped up, especially with the development of the internet. Young people use their own created words, and these terms appear more and more often in daily conversation and in the media. It’s important for interpreters to learn these new popular Chinese words and to understand their meaning, in order to be able to interpret/translate them accurately. 

This course is designed to help students become familiar with new popular Chinese words and their translations. We have selected 81 new Chinese words and phrases in our training material, and students will learn the meaning of each, allowing them to interpret/translate these words/phrases with greater ease and confidence. 

This course consists of a total of five hours of self-study.