Need advice: becomming an interpreter in the UK Thread poster: Mira66
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Mira66
Local time: 14:00
Persian (Farsi) to English
Hi all,I am very interested in Interpreting and decided to join a course and obtain a qualification to be able to work as an interpreter.
I'm mostly interested in one to one / over phone interpreting and not in more complex situations like court,conference etc.
I'm not sure where to start and what course to take,so what do you guys recommend?
reading some of the posts here I am now aware that rates are lower that what used to be but I am mostly looking at it as an alternative ... See more Hi all,I am very interested in Interpreting and decided to join a course and obtain a qualification to be able to work as an interpreter.
I'm mostly interested in one to one / over phone interpreting and not in more complex situations like court,conference etc.
I'm not sure where to start and what course to take,so what do you guys recommend?
reading some of the posts here I am now aware that rates are lower that what used to be but I am mostly looking at it as an alternative and supplementary profession and mostly as an interest.
I am not sure which courses are the best to join and what qualifications are necessary to work as an interpreter?
is the DPSI absolutely necessary to work as an interpreter in the UK?
at the moment I live in north England and no college in this area provides this course,there are some colleges in London area providing this course but it takes 2 full time years and enrolmnet fees are expensive.
also I've found a distance learning course for DPSI but apparently it is required to have some degree level education just to join the course?
do I really need to have a university degree to start an interpreting course?
University of Leeds has a distance learning course called "vocational certificate of interpreting" and it seemed to be a more suitable option but I'm not sure if having this certificate is sufficient to work as an interpreter?
any advice is very much appreciated. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ania Heasley 
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:00
English to Polish
+ ...
| Community Interpreting | May 15, 2012 |
I would advise you to start with Community Interpreting level 3 course.
This is a good overall introduction to interpreting, part time, one day a week courses last 3 months, you are then assessed through a role play and a number of written coursework pieces, the most challenging of which is a glossary of (last time I looked) some 300 public services terms.
The course covers Education, Benefits, Health, Housing, and Social Services fields.
It gives good groundin... See more I would advise you to start with Community Interpreting level 3 course.
This is a good overall introduction to interpreting, part time, one day a week courses last 3 months, you are then assessed through a role play and a number of written coursework pieces, the most challenging of which is a glossary of (last time I looked) some 300 public services terms.
The course covers Education, Benefits, Health, Housing, and Social Services fields.
It gives good grounding in interpreter's code of practice, it makes participants aware of principles of condidentiality, impartiality and other fundamental issues.
It does not cover legal terminology, and its purpose is not to prepare interpreters for courts and police work.
Community Interpreting (level 3) is recognised by agencies as most common entry level qualificiation.
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mira66
Local time: 14:00
Persian (Farsi) to English
TOPIC STARTER | DPSI vs Community Interpreting | May 15, 2012 |
Ania Heasley wrote:
I would advise you to start with Community Interpreting level 3 course.
This is a good overall introduction to interpreting, part time, one day a week courses last 3 months, you are then assessed through a role play and a number of written coursework pieces, the most challenging of which is a glossary of (last time I looked) some 300 public services terms.
The course covers Education, Benefits, Health, Housing, and Social Services fields.
It gives good grounding in interpreter's code of practice, it makes participants aware of principles of condidentiality, impartiality and other fundamental issues.
It does not cover legal terminology, and its purpose is not to prepare interpreters for courts and police work.
Community Interpreting (level 3) is recognised by agencies as most common entry level qualificiation.
Good luck!
hello Ania and thanks for your advice,
I did a quick research about the Community Interpreting level 3 course,there are no colleges in my city (Leeds) or nearby providing this course,but I found this course on few colleges in London,now I have also found a distance learning DPSI course (by Helena El Masri),do you have any advice on this one? the Community Interpreting level 3 course costs £577, vs £560 for the distance learning DPSI course.which one is the better option? I know there are expensive (around £700 ? ) exam fees for the DPSI exam if I'm not mistaken.
but isn't the DPSI qualification an overall more valuable and better option?
at the moment I'm more interested in interpreting for immigration,council,etc but not for courts and healthcare.
do you have any information about DPSI examination (Fees/Duration,etc?)
many thanks.
| | | | Ania Heasley
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:00
English to Polish
+ ...
DPSI is a far more advanced, challenging and valuable quqlification, no doubt about it!
You will find all the info about dpsi on the Chartered Institute of Linguists website, including syllabus, options, exam fees, etc. Community Interpreting is an entry level course which allows you to start working fast, as most agencies recognise it as sufficient acceptance criterion for new interpreters.
I must admit I didn't realise it is so expensive now, it used
To be about half the p... See more DPSI is a far more advanced, challenging and valuable quqlification, no doubt about it!
You will find all the info about dpsi on the Chartered Institute of Linguists website, including syllabus, options, exam fees, etc. Community Interpreting is an entry level course which allows you to start working fast, as most agencies recognise it as sufficient acceptance criterion for new interpreters.
I must admit I didn't realise it is so expensive now, it used
To be about half the price and councils used to subsidise it for languages in demand. ▲ Collapse
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Mira66
Local time: 14:00
Persian (Farsi) to English
TOPIC STARTER | telephone interpreting | Jun 28, 2012 |
hello again,
is a Community Interpreting level 3 certificate acceptable for working as a telephone interpreter in the UK?
there are too many different courses and some of them are quite time consuming and expensive,
there is for example a level 4 vocational certificate of interpreting as well,not sure which one is better.
I want to work as a telephone interpreter,can anyone advice me the fastest course than enables me to start this type of interpreting?
[Edi... See more hello again,
is a Community Interpreting level 3 certificate acceptable for working as a telephone interpreter in the UK?
there are too many different courses and some of them are quite time consuming and expensive,
there is for example a level 4 vocational certificate of interpreting as well,not sure which one is better.
I want to work as a telephone interpreter,can anyone advice me the fastest course than enables me to start this type of interpreting?
[Edited at 2012-06-28 02:49 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Interpreting courses | Jun 28, 2012 |
Hi Mira,
Hope you are well- did you manage to find any better advice about interpreting courses?
I actually work for Leeds Met who run the Vocational Certificate in Interpreting course that you mention. That course is an introductory course, which gives you the basics in interpreting and an overview to all modes of interpreting. The next level course, the Vocational Diploma in Interpreting, has a unit which focuses on telephone interpreting in particular. If you'd lik... See more Hi Mira,
Hope you are well- did you manage to find any better advice about interpreting courses?
I actually work for Leeds Met who run the Vocational Certificate in Interpreting course that you mention. That course is an introductory course, which gives you the basics in interpreting and an overview to all modes of interpreting. The next level course, the Vocational Diploma in Interpreting, has a unit which focuses on telephone interpreting in particular. If you'd like to get some further information or chat about the courses, you can email Marina Rabadan-Gomez (m.rabadan-gomez (at) leedsmet.ac.uk) who will happily talk you through the courses.
The main point about the Leeds Met courses is that they are done via distance learning, so you don't need to commit to a certain time and day and the travel expenses associated with that. Whereabouts in the north are you based? I know there are some colleges in the Manchester/Preston area that do interpeter training and could potentially recommend you one there. Have you looked at Interp-right training Ltd?
Otherwise, Ania's recommendation of a Community Interpreting level 3 course is a good one, if you would prefer a face to face course to attend. For telephone interpreting, and as you're not intending to go into the courts, I wouldn't recommend you do the DPSI just yet. It's also worth getting some experience under your belt before you look at the DPSI as well, so that you can improve your technique. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Course in Leeds | Jun 28, 2012 |
Hi Mira,
Just read that you are based in Leeds! The Swarthmore adult education centre in Woodhouse Square runs this course, and this leads to either a level 2 or 3 accreditation. http://www.wealeeds.org.uk/?p=course&id=113
[Edited at 2012-06-28 10:41 GMT]
| | | | Mira66
Local time: 14:00
Persian (Farsi) to English
TOPIC STARTER | Telephone interpreting courses | Jun 29, 2012 |
Hi nkthorneLeedsMe,
thanks for your response,I have an offer for the Vocational Certificate in Interpreting course in Leeds Uni,however if I'm not mistaken it costs £650 ,takes 1 Year and it's an introductory course.so I probably need to complete the Diploma course after that if I want to work as a telephone interpreter.it's going to take a very long time/cost alot.so I'm still undecided..there is an online DPSI course for the same price,I know DPSI is probably more than what I require to... See more Hi nkthorneLeedsMe,
thanks for your response,I have an offer for the Vocational Certificate in Interpreting course in Leeds Uni,however if I'm not mistaken it costs £650 ,takes 1 Year and it's an introductory course.so I probably need to complete the Diploma course after that if I want to work as a telephone interpreter.it's going to take a very long time/cost alot.so I'm still undecided..there is an online DPSI course for the same price,I know DPSI is probably more than what I require to work as a telephone interpreter but then if it takes same time and cost same as the Level 4 certificate it might be a much better and versatile option?
I much prefer an online course and want to be able to work asap..
do you know what qualification agencies prefer/request for telephone interpreters? or where can I find information about telephone interpreting job in general,agencies etc??
[Edited at 2012-06-29 16:44 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| turkish interpreter | Jun 11, 2013 |
Hi,
I graduated from the department of translation and interpreting department of a Turkish university in Turkey. What should I do to work as a translator/interpreter in the UK? Do I need to take a course like the ones mentioned in the forum? Please advise the procedures.
Thanks.
| | | | elena05
United Kingdom
Spanish to English
| translator!/interpreter | Jul 2, 2014 |
Hi.I am interested in studying interpreter or translater but I don't know where toto start to be honest. Some people say I should start with college courses some say I should have a degree in English to be able to become an interpreter. I would like to work with police and health care sistem but I'm totally confused. I live in uxbridge so is someone knows any place or course that I can start with can you please help me? Many thanks
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