online public service interpreting course

Some of our readers may be interested in this online interpreting course: 

UMass Medical Interpreting Online
Spring semester 2011, University of Massachusetts Amherst

This message is to announce that registration has opened for Medical Interpreting Online (CompLit 552).  Please be advised that the first 28 students to register will be admitted. The class is invariably full, so those registering early improve their chances of being admitted. Class begins on Jan 19, 2011. The class is all online all the time, so you may do the work anytime from anywhere as long as you have a computer and can connect to the Internet.

The one semester course covers consecutive interpreting, sight translation, and telephone interpreting. Course content includes ethics, standards of practice, terminology building (anatomy, pediatrics, dental, labor, internal, orthopedics, cardiology, AIDS, neurology), medical procedures, threaded discussions, consecutive interpreting, and sight translation. Texts are by Angelleli, Mikkelson, Chavez, plus selected journal articles.  The instructor is Edwin Gentzler, Professor of Comparative Literature and Director of the Certificate Program in Interpreting Studies, and the lab assistant is Rio Hernandez, a graduate student in the MA in Translation Studies program and an experienced interpreter.

The class is multilingual, with most of the major languages included. Students passing the course will receive a certificate in Medical Interpreting issued by the Translation Center and are eligible for either 3 hours of academic credit. The course serves as one of the trainings recognized by national certification organizations such as IMIA in the process of becoming certified. The class is open to interpreters, translators, bilingual health care providers, nurses, doctors, emergency room personnel, intake coordinators, community educators, counselors, therapists, social workers, community support services personnel, and anyone interested in improving the quality of bi-lingual health care.

The cost for the course $417 per credit plus a $45 registration fee, or a total of $1296. To register call Continuing Education at (413) 545-3653 or register online at http://www.umass.edu/contined/. The course is listed under Comparative Literature. For more information, please see our website at http://www.umasstranslation.com/academics/interpreting-certificates/#medical.

The last day to register is Jan 30, to drop is Jan. 31, to withdraw is 2/1. Please feel free to contact Edwin Gentzler at gentzler at complit.umass.edu if you have any questions.