Train to become an Interpreter

Can you speak two or more languages? Do you want to enhance your language skills, get a new career and help the local community?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you could sign up to one of the courses bring offered by Herts Interpreting & Translation Service.

What do I need?

Trainees should be completely fluent and fully literate in both target languages. Speakers of languages without a written form should be literate in the relevant national language (e.g. Sylheti speakers must be able to read and write Bengali, Pakistani Punjabi speakers must be able to read and write Urdu).

Applicants must be aged 18 or over. They should be both fluent and literate in English and at least one other language. All languages are welcome.

Enthusiasm, the ability to learn, and a proven commitment to helping others is more important than formal qualifications or previous experience.

Introduction to Public Service Interpreting

What will I learn?

This specially designed introductory ‘short-course’ offers a solid grounding in the technical skills (note-taking, glossaries, management of interpreting exchanges, etc) and ethics (confidentiality, impartiality, etc) of public service interpreting, and includes an internally assessed Certificate of Interpreter Proficiency (the minimum level of professional attainment required in order to work for our Service).

What can I do next?

If you want to formalise your learning and want to gain a nationally recognised qualification in public service Interpreting, you can sign up for the Diploma in Public Service Interpret training course:

The Level 6 Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI) is the longest-standing and most highly-regarded professional interpreting qualification in the UK.

The DPSI is overseen by the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL).

HITS has been a registered CIOL examination and training centre since 2001.

Since 2001, HITS has entered more than 650 candidates into the DPSI examination in the Health, Local Government and English Law options and its candidates have achieved more than a dozen national awards (see awards and accreditations).