– Please explain about the Certificate in Translation and Interpretation program.
You can become a court certified interpreter if you pass the written test and the oral test by the Judicial Council of the State of California. You can become a medical certified interpreter if you pass the written and oral tests given by the National Board of Certified Medical Interpreters. LA Translation and Interpretation has provided courses to train the students to pass those tests and become certified interpreters.
– How much money do interpreters make?
The starting salary of a criminal court interpreter is $67,000, and top 10% make six digit income. Medical interpreters make about $40,000-50,000.
– What is the future prospect for the job of interpreters?
There is an increasing demand for interpreters and translators in 2016, among other occupations that make up the Top 12 high-wage, in-demand, skilled positions this year. While high-paying jobs that offer financial and career security are enticing, there is another perk that comes along with being an interpreter and a translator — personal gratification for helping students and families in need of support and clarification.
– Can machines substitute human translators and interpreters?
Language is more from human intuition so there are many parts that machines can do as well as humans. Machine translation is at a very poor state now, and will remain limited in the future.
– How long is the program and what are the costs?
We have 1-year Certificate Program in Translation and Interpretation and the cost is $4800. If you just take medical courses out of it, it is 2 courses for $1200.
– Who are qualified to take the certification test?
There is no age or education requirement for court interpreters. For medical, if you graduated from high school in China, they ask you to show the proof of education or interpreter related job experiences in the U.S. or Toefl score. If you graduated from a high school in the U.S. you should show your college education in Chinese, or your taking courses in Chinese, or Chinese Qualification Test scores.
– What are the merits and shortcomings of the interpreter job?
You can help people communicate, it’s a freelancer professional job, you experience new and different things every day, you can continue to develop yourself, flexible work hours, and there is no retirement. Shortcomings would be, for me, that you cannot state your own opinion, there is no human relations like in organizations. But that could also be a merit of the job.
– Do you provide employment service after completion of the courses?
We provide necessary information to get jobs, and the company affiliated to the school is an agency that provides jobs to translators and interpreters.
Next Mandarin classes open on July 23, Saturday. For inquiries: 213-368-0700.