LaGuardia Bilingual Students Complete New York State Court Interpreter Internship Program
LONG ISLAND CITY, NY (May 15, 2024) — Eleven LaGuardia Community College/CUNY students have successfully completed the New York State Court Interpreter Internship Program. Through the five-week program, which ran from March through April, the students learned how to use their native language skills as interpreters for a range of legal proceedings, including trials, hearings, and mediation sessions at various courts in New York City.
The students shadowed professional court interpreters and immersed themselves in legal interpreting under the guidance of their mentor interpreters. They learned basic skills of court interpretation and the ethics of interpreters through placements in the civil, family, and criminal courts of New York City.
The program enables the students to explore job opportunities using their native language skills — many were raised in bilingual households or are immigrants. Some will take the Per Diem Court Interpreter examination next month. Upon passing the exam, they will be able to register as per-diem (independent contractor) court interpreters. Per-diem court interpreters are paid $385 for a full day or $220 for a half day, and a high school diploma is the minimum educational requirement for this position (applicants must also be authorized to work legally in the U.S.).
The LaGuardia interns who participated in the NYS Court Interpreter Internship Program in Spring 2024 included:
- Ruqaiah Alhemyari (Arabic): (’22, Paralegal Studies)
- Abir Apon (Bengali): Accounting major
- Jovana Jeremic (Bosnian): Criminal Justice major
- Nwe Oo (Burmese): former LaGuardia student; currently working in the LaGuardia library
- Aminata Gueye (French): Network Administration and Information Security major
- Davit Tsverianashvili (Greek): Business Administration major
- Marco Terzuoli (Italian): Business Administration major
- Eimy Sanchez (Spanish): (’19, Communications)
- Isabel Rodriguez (Spanish): Paralegal Studies major
- Kaisy Pinales (Spanish, ASL): Social Science and Humanities major
- Karen Mendoza (Spanish): Spanish-English Translation major
Visit the NYS Court Interpreters website at https://www.nycourts.gov/courtinterpreter for more information about court interpreter careers and future internship opportunities.
The internship program will be available to students in Fall 2024. For inquiries, contact the Modern Languages Program at (718) 482-5484, the Center for Career and Professional Development, visit the Education and Language Acquisition Department in room B-234 on campus, or email Professor Tomonori Nagano at tnagano@lagcc.cuny.edu.
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LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC), a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens offers more than 50 degrees and certificates, and more than 65 continuing education programs to educate New Yorkers seeking new skills and careers. As an institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of underserved populations. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students while providing them with access to a high quality, affordable college education.
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