Being a professional interpreter is a very gratifying career. It is different compared to a translator career as the job opportunities differ. For one to have a successful interpreter career, they need the proper training. For those who want to take their training in Canada, there are a number of options for being able to do this.
Seneca College
Seneca College is a very well-known college institution in Toronto. They offer many different courses, and one of these is the LITP Program, which stands for Language Interpreter Training Program.
The college is most proud of this particular course as they were the first ones to offer it.
The Purpose of the Program
It was identified that there was a need for this type of training. Seneca worked very closely with the following government agencies during the process of developing the course:
- Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
- Ministry of Attorney General
- Health and Social Service Agencies
The Program
Students who are going to participate in this program will have to dedicate 180 hours to it. It is comprised of six courses that focus on:
- Theories
- Principles
- Concepts
- Practical Application
- Skills Development
The first step a prospective student will have to take is an assessment of their English Skills. The college is encouraging those that are interested in this course to attend an information session. If you reach the level where you are accepted into the course you can typically pay for the course using common payment methods such as Visa, Mastercard or Instadebit but the college will specifically outline their payment methods when ready to accept payment.
Certification
Anyone that wants to be classed as a professional translator in Canada must be certified. The governing body for this is CTTIC. This is the organization that issues the different exams that will be necessary for the professional translator to take so they can officially use the title certified translator.
CCIS has a list of member associates and graduate interpreters must become a member of one of them. For example, in Ontario, a member association is the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario.
Interpreter Education Program
Aside from interpreting languages, there are also deaf interpreters. There are specific courses for those who want to make this their career. The courses may vary in what they have to offer according to the province they are located in, but the course mandates will all have the same core foundations. In Ontario, this course is being offered by George Brown College.
Choosing the Right Training
It is very important that any individual that is going to make being an interpreter their chosen career chooses their courses wisely. They need to make sure that it is going to apply to the career path that they want to take.