College Of Charleston - Graduate School

Program Information

Degree Offered

M.A.- Bilingual Legal Interpreting, Certificate in Bilingual Legal Interpreting

Program Description:

Federal, state, and local courts throughout the nation are facing a severe shortage of qualified, professionally trained legal interpreters. Interpreters are also in high demand in law enforcement and social service agencies and for administrative hearings. The College of Charleston's Bilingual Legal Interpreting master's program was initiated to help meet this challenge. This is the only program in the US at the Master's level. The Bilingual Legal Interpreting program for English-Spanish program is a comprehensive, sequenced and integrated series of courses designed to provide the students with the competencies, techniques and research skills required of a professional legal interpreter. Demographic trends indicate that the heavy rate of immigration, especially from Spanish-speaking countries, will continue until the middle of the 21st century. Therefore, employment opportunities for professional legal interpreters will continue well into the next decade. There is also a 12 hour certificate program. The certificate program provides the means by which students can attain the minimum foundational skills in legal interpreting in an abbreviated time frame, generally one summer. The certificate program is specially designed for students enrolled in other language-oriented graduate programs, professional translators, and college graduates interested in developing basic interpreting skills.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Financial Aid Offered: No

Format: Campus

Classification: Master's Colleges & Universities I

Institution Sector: Public

Locale: Midsize City

Size & Settings: 10,000 - 19,999