Interpreting in Court & Legal Settings
COST: $997 + GST
May 2 — May 30, 2023
Interpreting in court and legal settings can be a very intimidating environment for interpreters who are more accustomed to working in other public services-based settings, such as healthcare or social services. Legal settings can encompass a wide range of settings, from courts, administrative tribunals, border services, legal offices, and parole officer meetings, plus so much more.
This intensive, interactive course will provide you with the critical professional and career skills to work in a variety of court and law enforcement settings. You will learn courtroom protocols, the function and process of tribunals as well as other legal settings, and gain the confidence to work alongside judges, lawyers, government agents, and other professionals.
This course will also prepare you for the CTTIC exam to become a Certified Court Interpreter.
Course Content
- The Canadian Court and Legal system
- Assignment Research and Preparation Strategies for Court and Legal Settings
- Terminology and Terminology Research Skills for Court and Legal Interpreters
- Core Interpreting Procedures and Protocols: Sight Translation, Memory, Conversion, and Note Taking
- Consecutive and Simultaneous Interpreting Practice (Charge to the Jury, the Interpreter’s Oath, etc.)
- Professional Ethics and Standards of Conduct for Judicial Interpreters
- Additional Bilingual tutorials are also available and include Bilingual Legal Terminology Instruction
- Career Development and Marketplace Orientation:
- Lawyers and law firms
- The Provincial Court
- The Supreme Court
- The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
- Administrative Tribunals
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) offices
- Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) offices
- Provincial Ministries
- Municipal police departments and community policing
- RCMP detachments
- Correctional Services Canada
Plus
- Interactive role–plays, case studies, and lectures
- Resources and Links
- Student Manual included
Course Certificate:
Students that successfully complete this program will receive a Certificate of Completion
Where Bilinguals Come to Learn
A Real Classroom with Real Instructors
What makes The Interpreter’s Lab different is US, the TIL Team – our passion for this work, and our love of teaching. Our courses have been developed with students in mind. Our commitment to your success is our driving motivation.
All of our courses include the following features:
Flexible Attendance: Learning is best achieved by participating in all the live lessons, but we know that things happen. If you cannot make a lesson, you can catch up by watching the recording of the session.

The Learning Format
Live Instruction/Blended Learning
This course is taught in The Interpreter’s Lab blended learning model which brings together instructor-led lessons and self-directed content that students can complete in their own time.
- Instructor-led lessons are conducted in a typical classroom setting – in real-time and online
- Self-directed modules can be done on your own time, as you wish and when it is convenient for you. to give students better access, and more learning options.
- Practical offline assignments
Live Instruction/Blended Learning
This course is taught in The Interpreter’s Lab blended learning model which brings together instructor-led lessons and self-directed content that students can complete in their own time.
- Instructor-led lessons are conducted in a typical classroom setting – in real-time and online
- Self-directed modules can be done on your own time, when it is convenient for you, giving students better access and more learning options.
Regardless of the lesson format, an instructor will always be available to support your learning.
In addition to the convenience, improved access, efficiency, and flexibility that our Blended Learning model offers all our students, the model also allows for continuous updating of resources and links – giving students access to more learning resources than ever before.
Length: 50 hours – 15 hours of live instruction, plus approximate 30 – 35 hours of online, self-directed course materials and assignments.
Prerequisite: Interpreting in Community Settings – A Foundational Program (or comparable course of study verified through an online entry assessment).
About our Instructors
The Interpreter’s Lab training programs are led by experienced educators who have extensive experience in and knowledge of interpreting – including working in health, mental health, legal and social service settings. Our students gain the skills, techniques, professional standards, knowledge, and competencies necessary to succeed as community interpreters.
Our curriculum has been developed based on the most promising practices and standards as set by ISO (the International Standards Organization) and the extensive expertise and real-world knowledge of our team.
Material and Technical Requirements
- Desktop or laptop computer (smartphones or tablets are NOT recommended)
- Zoom (recent version)
- Headset / webcam
- Stable internet (preferably high-speed)
- Ethernet cable (suggested)
- Additional device for self-recording (can be a smartphone or voice recorder – must be able to rewind and listen on-demand without issues)
- Notepad, pen/pencil
- Ability to access email/online browser simultaneous to the lesson
Why is this course important?
Interpreting in court and legal settings requires a highly specialized knowledge of the legal and justice system, legal terminology, and courtroom protocols, among many other topic areas. This course is taught by our senior instructors who are experienced and certified court interpreters, in addition to being experts on the court and legal system of Canada.
This unique course will provide you with a solid foundation to get you working in diverse legal settings, such as the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), the Human Rights Tribunal, as well as Federal and Provincial Courts. It will also give you a comprehensive understanding of the many agencies with which you can work, as well as the procedures and protocols of working in the courtroom, examinations for discovery, and other legal interview and administrative tribunal environments.
The Interpreting in Court and Legal Settings course will teach you the essential legal terminology related to court procedures, law and legal processes, law enforcement, and administrative tribunals procedures, as well as titles, and proper forms of address for the professionals and personnel involved in the legal system.
Our training programs prepare students to continue learning either independently or through our Membership Programs.
Who should attend?
This training program is designed to prepare practicing interpreters, or interpreters that have met the prerequisite conditions, to work in legal and court settings.
This course is perfect for new or practicing interpreters who want to advance their career and expand into the specialized law enforcement settings. This course is suitable for interpreters interested in a short-term, intensive course that teaches core competences, skills, knowledge, and professional standards, as well as sharing the tools and resources for continued professional development.
Interpreters who are committed to professional excellence and advancement are welcome to apply to this course. If your goal is to receive real training for the real world, you will find that The Interpreter’s Lab is the place to learn and grow.
What you will learn
Upon successful completion of this program, interpreters will be equipped to fulfill the role of legal/court interpreter competently and professionally.
Students will gain an understanding of the legal and court system, procedures and terminology, and the role of the interpreter within the legal and court systems.
Some Important Things to Know:
Interpreting in Community Settings – A Foundational Program is a prerequisite for all our other training programs offered at The Interpreters Lab. It gives students the solid foundation to start working immediately upon completion.
Fluency is understood as the ability to speak, read and write in a language with accuracy and ease on a variety of general topics. This course will not focus on translation – the written form of language conversion – but students will be required to read in English and their other working language.
Participants must be online, and visible, with their name visible (ensure your name is correctly spelled upon signing in) during the session. To receive a Certificate of Attendance for all Professional Development Workshops and Masterclass courses, participants must in attendance for the full session. Participants must complete any handouts or worksheets as/if and how required by the attending instructor.
Participants are encouraged to ask questions, participate in the chat, and complete any follow-up evaluation or feedback forms.
Visit our Terms of Use for terms and conditions, including our refund policies.

Get this training program as part of a bundle and save!
Training Bundles are an opportunity for you to substantially save on training costs. When you register for a Training Bundle you get two or more courses, with the option of adding workshops as well.
“I took the Interpreting in Court and Legal Settings course in 2020. This course was very informative about the Canadian legal system, and procedures, as well as the difficult situations that interpreters may face in their work. This course was especially unique in that it included a certified court interpreter in the course as well as other professionals in the industry. Some great takeaways were the colleagues I met, the resources and tools, as well as the various places that an interpreter can look for work as an independent contractor. This course can be useful no matter what level of interpreter you are and does not require you to have legal knowledge beforehand. You will also learn about various resources and tools on how to practice interpreting and improve your skills. I have some legal setting interpreter experience and hope to one day become certified as a court interpreter. Thus, this course was a great fit for me!”