Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting

Purpose

The purpose of the Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting is to provide an opportunity for court interpreters who are already in the profession as well as newcomers to the field of court interpreting to obtain a recognised formal and professional qualification.

The main aim of the qualification is to professionally equip learners with the necessary skills to render a specialised service in court interpreting to the South African legal system in general.

Learner may also use their interpreting skills in other spheres of society such as the medical field, local municipalities, educational institutions, national and local government services, the legislature, business, etcetera. The qualified learners may utilise their services in global institutions such as the United Nations. The United Nations's interpreters play an essential role in the sphere of global communication bringing different nations together. The qualification should also enable learners to be critical and reflective practitioners and specialists in the field of interpreting. Critical thinking and reflective skills will enable these learners to address numerous complexities relating to interpreting.

Rationale

Due to the shortage of formally and professionally trained court interpreters, the institution endeavours to make a valuable contribution in this regard by introducing a formal qualification in the form of the Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting that should address the court interpreting needs of the province. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development currently employs a substantial number of court interpreters who do not have a formal qualification in court interpreting. For this reason, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development requested the Department of Languages and Communication at the institution to assess these court interpreters and issue them with a certificate of competence. In the light of the above request, the Department of Languages and Communication decided to go a step further and also introduce a formal qualification in court interpreting to address this needs gap.

The qualification equips learners to render a specialised service in court interpreting to the South African legal system in general. Over and above court interpreting certificated learners may also render their services in a variety of instances, such as conferences, meetings, functions, and lectures. In the qualification, learners will not only learn to uphold the ethos of their profession but also to protect the constitutional rights of the tried individual in his/her language.

Learners with excellent spoken and written language capabilities in English and at least one other South African language from the following group will be encouraged to enrol for the Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting: Afrikaans, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Tshivenda, Xhosa and Zulu. The demand will drive the presentation of the languages mentioned above. The qualification offers an opportunity for upgrading the skills of court interpreters, language practitioners and language learners, thereby enhancing their career prospects and professional status. Combined with an active component of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) the Certificate qualification in court interpreting provides for the integration of theory and practice, thereby ensuring that learners are work-ready after obtaining the qualification. An advanced level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence is thus required from learners enrolling for this qualification.

The learners will contribute to social and economic transformation in South Africa in general. The qualification ensures the protection of the individual's constitutional right to equal access to the legal system via the court setting and fairness through the use of a language or languages which he/she fully understands during court proceedings.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The formal RPL policy of the institution applies in instances where learners do not meet the minimum admission requirements for entry into the Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting. As such, the following stipulations regarding RPL as contained in the institution's policy document will apply:

• The institution acknowledges that they will apply RPL when applicable to a specific discipline or qualification offered at the institution. The institution will treat learning acquired from other qualifications under the credit Accumulation and Transfer policy.
• Learners seeking access to higher education without a formal school-leaving certificate or equivalent must consult with the relevant Qualification Head. The Qualification Head will determine in consultation with the relevant sub-committee of the department to the Registrar. There must be an assessment focusing on whether the learner could reasonably complete the qualification in question. The Matriculation Board deals with applications for Mature Age exemptions where:
• The learner can make an appeal against RPL decisions to the Registrar and responded to by the relevant Head of Department in writing. The Registrar is the final arbiter in the decision making.
• The institution must Flagg all learners admitted via RPL in the ITS system as such, and a record of such admissions and maintain and monitor the learners' progress.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Senior Certificate, NQF Level 4.

Or

• National Senior Certificate, NQF Level 4 granting access to Higher Certificate studies.

Or

• National Certificate Vocational, NQF Level 4 granting access to Higher Certificate studies.

This qualification consists of one compulsory module at Level 5, totalling 136 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 136 Credits

• SCOR1, 8 Credits.
• Introduction to basic Interpreting Skills, 16 Credits.
• Liaison Interpreting Contexts, 16 Credits.
• English Communication Skills for Interpreters, 16 Credits.
• Law Theory and Court Procedures for Interpreters, 16 Credits.
• SCOR 2, 8 Credits.
• Legal Interpreting Skills, 16 Credits.
• Legal English, 16 Credits.
• Language Refinement for Court Interpreters, 16 Credits.
• Work Integrated Learning (WIL), 8 Credits.

1. Draw from a sound knowledge base concerning interpreting and communication (written, oral, and listening) to demonstrate their understanding and application of interpreting and communication concepts, terminologies, principles and strategies.
2. Apply communication skills (written, oral, and listening skills) in a legal environment such as a court.
3. Understand law theory, terminology, concepts, legal language (jargon) and court procedures and processes.
4. Apply interpreting skills within a legal context.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Explain interpreting and communication concepts, terminologies and principles.
• Identify and explain interpreting and communication strategies to be followed within a court interpreting context.
• Evaluate interpreting and communication strategies to be applied within a court interpreting context.
• Distinguish between interpreting and translation.
• Distinguish between the different modes of interpreting (e.g. consecutive, simultaneous interpreting, whispered interpreting, sight interpreting and summary interpreting.
• Apply the different modes of interpreting (i.e. short consecutive interpreting, long consecutive interpreting, whispered interpreting and sight interpreting.
• Distinguish between consecutive and simultaneous interpreting.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Demonstrate the use and application of different communication skills (i.e. written, oral, listening skills) within a controlled legal context.
• Compile glossaries and vocabulary lists to ensure fluency of interpreting.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Analyse and interpret source language messages recalled from memory.
• Reformulate source language messages.
• Select the appropriate interpreting style or mode (i.e. short consecutive interpreting, long consecutive interpreting, whispered interpreting sight interpreting [i.e. oral rendering of a written text from one language into another] and summary interpreting [not recommended for legal contexts]) for a particular interactive context.
• Arrange messages logically to ensure that there are similarities in terms of meaning and communicative content between the source and target language.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Explain legal terminology and concepts.
• Outline the legal system concerning the following constituent parts of the court process: criminal and civil court procedure, evidence, jurisdiction, evidence, elements of a crime, etcetera.

Integrated Assessment

Formative assessments may include

• Interpreting assessments,
• Supervised role-play exercises,
• Written or online tests and assignments,
• Peer assessment exercises,
• Self-assessment exercises,
• Reflective exercises,
• Group assignments,
• Case studies, oral presentations,
• Small scale reports.
• One oral/interpreting assessment and
• One final reflective portfolio or an elaborate essay on a selected topic or one final exam to assess learners summatively.