Much-Needed Interpreters on the Horizon

KOM’s Translating & Interpreting (TRIN) program completed its latest Level 2 class. The program, which consists of three levels, is designed to teach prospective interpreters about protocols and ethics of interpreting. It is conducted in partnership with Century College, Weaving Cultures, Roseville Adult Learning Center, and ARCH Language Network.

The program is language neutral. In this class there were seven Karen speakers, one Spanish speaker, one Vietnamese speaker, and one participant who speaks Kinyarwanda, French, and Swahili.

Lisa Gibson is the Career Development Counselor for Interpreting at KOM. She says completing this class during the pandemic was especially difficult. She had to design a pre-training for the course so that students understood each safety precaution in the classroom.

“Every day, I did a health check as students came in, taking temperatures. We wore masks at all times inside, went outside to eat lunch, kept desks apart, and sat at the same desks between consecutive sessions,” she says.

After forty hours of training over three weekends, all ten students passed through the course. All ten are continuing their education during the fall semester at Century College. Eight will focus on Translation and Interpreting, one in Education, and one in Dental Assistance.

For the Karen community, having seven more qualified interpreters is huge because Lisa says that there is a need for Karen interpreters everywhere. One area in particular is the state court system. For those interested in becoming an interpreter, Lisa is holding another Level 2 class in late fall. Interested participants can sign up through this form.

Congratulations again to everyone who passed the Level 2 class!