Interpreting in Legal Settings Course

This self-paced online course aims to provide a general overview of the Australian Legal System and best practices in Court, Legal & Police Interpreting settings.  

Course Structure:

This self-paced online course consists of narrated PowerPoint videos, readings, quizzes, case scenario discussions, podcasts and related online videos.

Topics covered:

• Lesson 1 - Australian Legal System

• Lesson 2 - Courts and Tribunals

• Lesson 3 - The Trial Process

• Lesson 4 - Arrest Detention and Bail

• Lesson 5 - Alternative Dispute Resolution

• Lesson 6 – Achieving Accuracy in Court Interpreting

• Lesson 7 – Interpreting in Lawyer-Client Interviews

• Lesson 8 - Recommended National Standards for Working with Interpreters in Courts and Tribunals

• Lesson 9 – Interpreting in Police Settings

• Glossaries

• References, Recommended Readings and Further Learning

Suitable for:

This course is designed for practising interpreters:

• wishing to enhance their knowledge of the Australian Legal System and police and court interpreting discourse.

• wishing to prepare for the NAATI Certified Specialist Legal Interpreter test

Presented by:

Dr Alperhan Babacan

Alperhan Babacan holds Honours degrees in Law and Political Science, a PhD and a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching in Learning. Dr Babacan is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and High Court of Australia and has extensive experience in legal practice and legal education. In academia, Dr. Babacan has held various senior positions including as Chair of Criminology at Navitas, deputy head of School at Swinburne University and as Director of the Juris Doctor program at RMIT University. Dr Babacan has extensive experience in unit and course development, accreditation and review. He has published very widely in areas of law, criminology and teaching and learning in the higher education sector with a specific focus on the scholarship of learning in legal education.

Dr Han Xu

Han Xu is a professional interpreter (Mandarin-English), holding certification/accreditation from NAATI and CATTI (China Accreditation Test for Translators and Interpreters). She received systematic interpreting and translation training in an MA program at Sichuan University in China between 2011 and 2014. Since then, she has been practising as a conference interpreter, specialising in interpreting in business, diplomatic and educational settings. Han completed her PhD study at the University of New South Wales in early 2019. Her PhD research project looks into how interpreting services are used in legal interviews with a focus on lawyer-interpreter working relations and their impact on the effectiveness of interpreted legal interviews. Soon after Han finished her PhD study, she had worked as an assistant lecturer at Monash University teaching interpreting. Han is interested in conducting interdisciplinary studies to empirically investigate different aspects of interpreting activity, such as issues related to interpreter role, ethics, training and professionalism. Han is also on the AUSIT National Council with a view to contributing her efforts and knowledge to raise the professional status of translators and interpreters in Australia.

 Dr Miranda Lai

Dr Miranda Lai is a lecturer in interpreting and translating studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University). Her research interests include ethics for interpreters and translators, public service interpreting and translating, police interviewing in bilingual settings. She has delivered training in Australia and overseas, and she is the co-author of Ethics for Police Translators and Interpreters (2017).

Cintia Lee

Cintia Lee is a NAATI Certified Interpreter and Translator working in the English/Spanish combination and holds a degree in English Philology from the University of Deusto in Bilbao, Spain. She has a wealth of experience across a range of community interpreting settings, with a focus on legal and law enforcement. She has been providing professional interpreting services in criminal, civil and administrative courts and tribunals in Australia since 2011 and has a strong commitment to delivering high-quality interpretation and to upholding the highest professional and ethical standards.

Fatih Karakas - MSocSc(Trans&InterpSt)

Fatih Karakas is the Head of Training at All Graduates. He also teaches in the Translating and Interpreting Program at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University where he also completed his Masters in Translation and Interpreting. He teaches both at Vocational and Higher Education levels and has delivered training in other states across the country for RMIT University and AUSIT. He is particularly interested in teaching interpreting skills as well as ethics and professionalism with a focus on providing non-language specific training via online Learning Management Systems. Fatih is also a NAATI certified interpreter and translator (Turkish-English) specialising in legal and healthcare interpreting. 

PD Logbook:

A "Certificate of Completion" will be issued upon completion of the course which can be used for NAATI Recertification. Learners will be eligible for 40 PD points towards recertification (Section 1.4 of NAATI Recertification PD Catalogue). 

Testimonial:

An excellent starting point for novice interpreters and a way to upskill for professionals who want to build up their understanding about interpreting in the Australian legal system. Introduction to the Australian legal system and the skills required by interpreters is provided by expert educators and practitioners. They take students, step by step, through the different stages of police, legal and courtroom processes. Students will build their knowledge about legal interpreting and develop skills gradually, supported by a variety of multimedia learning materials: video narrated presentations and quizzes. Reference materials, readings and podcasts will further support students in preparing for work in this complex domain. 

- Professor Ludmila Stern, Linguistics, Interpreting and Translation, School of Humanities and Languages, UNSW Sydney

Interpreting in legal settings can be a challenge for interpreters. The sometimes obscure language and processes of the world of law may even scare off interpreters from ever trying such interpreting. This self-paced legal Interpreting course will give interpreters - particularly those new to the field - the confidence to work in lawyer-client, Police and court settings. I recommend you learn at your own pace to understand the legal field, and improve your skills in legal interpreting.

 - Dr Uldis Ozolins, researcher, writer and teacher of Interpreting & Translation, currently Adjunct Associate Professor at Western Sydney University

Learner Support:

Our Learner Support Team is always ready to assist you throughout your learning experience with us. For all your course content-related questions and inquiries, you can email us or we can make time for a Video or Telephone call. 

Email: courses@allgraduates.com.au

In your email please provide us with:

• Your full name

• Course Name

• Lesson number/name 

Online Meeting: Schedule a Meeting with the course trainer