Aquinas Court-Judicial-Legal Interpreter Training Program
Get started in our new career with the fastest, most practical, and most economic way to learn court interpreting. With hands on training from industry professionals, you’ll be ready to interpret in various court hearings including trial and examination for discovery.
Our company has a record of graduates who came straight from the classroom and interpreted successfully in trials in the courts. The reason for these good opportunities is the fact that our company is not only a training center for court interpreters but also an interpreting service agency since 2005.
“The provision of interpreter services is a basic right of anyone who is a party or witness in court proceedings under s. 14 of the Charter, which guarantees the right of an accused to understand the proceedings…..
But fulfilling those rights is difficult because of a shortage of qualified, competent interpreters, especially in the languages of recent waves of immigrants…..”
Source: “Misrepresentation: Crisis in Canadian Court Interpreting”, The Lawyers Weekly, Dec. 3, 2010 Issue.
“US Census data and statistics on interpreter use in the United States District Courts document the growth in foreign language speakers and in the need for foreign language court interpreters in the United States. Research on court interpreter decisions from state and federal courts indicates that non-English speakers are appearing in courts across the country with increasing frequency and that many courts are struggling to cope with a shortage of qualified interpreters (Davis et. a. 2004:2).
Source: de Jongh, Elena M. “From the Classroom to the Courtroom: A guide to interpreting in the U.S. justice system.” John Benjamins Publishing Co., Philadelphia, 2012
Who we are
Aquinas Institute Corporation dba Aquinas Institute is a duly registered company that is anchored on the principles of faith, knowledge and charity. It was incorporated on September 9, 2005 with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs of the Province of British Columbia, Canada.
Our mission statement:
- To help people.
- To provide quality service to our clients.
- To give integrity, dignity and professionalism to the people working with us in the hope that they would be happy, they would provide quality service to our clients, and they would pass this happiness to their families.
- To share our resources with the needy around the world.
In 2006 Aquinas Institute started offering the Aquinas Court-Judicial-Legal Interpreter Training™ to court interpreters and to the public. Over the years, the training program has been improved from a one-day training to a 7-day training. With the successes of its graduates, Aquinas Institute has been well known for its training trademark. Until 2012 only the Vancouver Community College and Aquinas Institute offered training programs for court interpreters. The VCC ceased its court interpreting program in 2012 while Aquinas Institute remained to be a leading training centre for court interpreters in the Province of British Columbia.
We are committed to the pursuit of excellence in adult education and training services.
We are committed to providing quality, comprehensive, concise, practical and affordable training to people of diverse cultures.
We are committed to providing quality, accurate, confidential, punctual, ethical and professional interpretation and translation services.
Aquinas Institute is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, national/ethnic origin, color, religion, language, sex, beauty, disability nor economic background. We welcome visible minorities to be part of our company.
We have given work to professionals, religious ministers, university graduates, college students, high school graduates, the retired, new immigrants, the unemployed and those on social assistance.
Aquinas Institute is charity driven. We are committed to share the company’s acquired resources with local, national and international charities. Aquinas Institute has given out university scholarship grants and charitable donations around the world.
Curriculum
Comprehensive. Concise. Practical. Affordable. Accepted.
The Aquinas Court-Judicial-Legal Interpreter Training Program™ is an intensive 7-day classroom instruction and practical workshop with analyses of topics.
Curriculum Developer and Trainer
Teresita Nixon is a court interpreter certified by the Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia. She is a Level 1 Court Interpreter in the Filipino <>English language combination with the BC Courts. She has 25 years of interpreting experience and 20 years of adult education & training experience.
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the program, you should meet the following criteria:
- Native speaker of one foreign language.
- Read, write and speak English fluently.
- University degree or high school diploma.
- Good listening skills.
- Good reading comprehension skills.
- Good interpersonal skills.
- High ethical standards.
- Independent and team player.
- Positive attitude.
Certification
The Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia has the sole authority to give the designation of “Certified Court Interpreter” to an Aquinas graduate or any person who has passed an examination in his language of proficiency or by the “On Dossier:” process. The examination is administered and adjudicated on a national basis by CTTIC. See www.stibc.org.
Demand for Trained Court Interpreters
Aquinas Institute nor Aquinas Legal Interpreters do not guarantee work to Aquinas graduates due to the fact that they cannot control if and when the clients will request a certain foreign language. However, graduates are given work priority.
Success of Aquinas Graduates
Here are just some of the successes of Aquinas graduates.
A Filipino interpreter was hired as a permanent Madam Registrar at New Westminster Court.
Tuition Fees and Registration
Tuition fees:
CDN $2,500.00 per student for 50 hours of training
CDN $1,750.00 per student for 35 hours of training.
- Tuition fees are payable with credit card or cash only.
- Registration must accompany full payment.
- Deadline for registration is one week before the class.
- Tuition fees paid are tax deductible for education.
- Consult a WorkBC counsellor to find out if WorkBC can sponsor you for this training program.
Did you know?
Graduates of the Aquinas Court-Judicial-Legal Interpreter Training Program™receive a Certificate in Court-Judicial-Legal Interpreting after completing all the requirements and passing the exams; handouts for course materials; and an income tax deductible receipt.
All graduates must first be admitted as Associate Members of the Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia. Once they are associate members, they can apply for certification as a translator or interpreter. Source: Society of Translators and Interpreters of British Columbia.
Additional Information
If you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.