Bright and early Saturday morning, 77 people were driving into downtown Columbia to attend the SC Access to Justice Commission’s LEP Work Group “Law School for Interpreters.”
Meanwhile, the sponsors were all busy opening the facility and readying the room and registration tables for each of these interpreters.
At 8:45 a.m., seats filled and the LEP Work Group provided an overview of the day and the program began.
The Agenda:
- Registration and Breakfast 8:00 a.m.
- Welcome & Overview 8:45 a.m.
- Pretest 9:00 a.m.
- “Oh the Places You Can Go and the People You Can Meet” (Overview of the SC Judicial System) 9:15 a.m.
- South Carolina State Court Interpreter Certification Program 9:45 a.m.
- BREAK
- Circuit Court 10:30 a.m.
- Family Court 11:15 a.m.
- Magistrates Court 12:00 noon
- Catered Lunch
- Court Process 1:45 p.m.
- BREAK
- Panel Discussion & Q&A: Reality Check 3:15 p.m.
- Post-test, Wrap-Up, & Evaluation 4:45 p.m.
The excitement in the room was palpable. Interpreters greeted one another with hugs, and sometimes questions of “which language do you speak?” And the excitement was not limited to interpreters and translators. Many of the event sponsors were thrilled with the turn-out, especially on a Saturday. Languages represented included Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, French, and Urdu as well as a few others.
And we’re all excited about the prospect of an additional pool of qualified and certified interpreters and translators in the South Carolina Court System.
Thanks again to our sponsors, speakers, and participants!
~RFW
SC Access To Justice Weblog 
One thought on “Law School for Interpreters: A Success!”