Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Apply professional communication skills and demeanor to interpreting assignments.

2. Apply theoretical knowledge of the role and function of an interpreter to actual interpreter practice.

3. Analyze the interpreting process and set individual goals for improvement.

4. Describe the logistics and process of interpreting in a given environment.

This course will consist of the following activities:

• Regular supervision sessions with instructor to discuss in class interpretations

• Interpret in class for guest speakers

• Weekly meetings with a tutor to analyze their work

• Contact speakers and preparing for assignments

• Practice working with teams and setting up the position of the interpreters appropriately for the setting

• Maintain a record of hours spent preparing for assignments, tutoring hours, observation hours, and interpreting hours.

Students will be assessed by interpreting work, completion of community hours, reflections, professionalism, and demeanor. Students must complete 60 hours of class time, assignments, tutoring, and community hours. 

Course content includes:

• Continued development of expressive and receptive simultaneous interpreting skills.

• Practice successful communication between the student interpreter and team, consumer, and presenter.

• Develop an understanding of the appropriate location of an interpreter in a given situation.

• Use of appropriate professional dress and demeanor, interpreting techniques, preparation, processing, clarification techniques, and production of an interpretation.

• Development of strategies to control performance anxiety and to become comfortable interpreting in front of an audience.

• Discuss and analyze personal skill development 

• Calculate time spent preparing for, discussing, and performing an interpretation.