SPA 340 Legal Interpreting I

3 hours 

Interpreting is recognized as a complex cognitive task that requires bilingual and bicultural competence. Interpreting in legal settings further requires the acquisition of highly specialized knowledge relating to the law, legal language and discourses. This course will introduce students to the contextual knowledge needed to operate in diverse legal settings (courtroom, police), covering different court proceedings such as arraignments, preliminary hearings and pretrial motions. It also provides practice in simultaneous and consecutive interpretation as well as sight translation based on diverse simulated courtroom situations. Students will attend appropriate civil, criminal, and/or family court proceedings.