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Level 6 - Preparation for the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI) Law Option

The DPSI course is the next stage in professional accreditation as a public service interpreter, following on from the level 3 Certificate course. Successful completion of the exam with Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIoL) will qualify you to work as an interpreter within legal settings and will give you further professional accreditation in other areas of interpreting. This course will prepare you to take the DPSI exam as an external candidate and will increase your chances of passing these demanding assessments. Entry to the course is by written application and interview. Please see full course description for more details. Application Form Advanced Learner Loan Information Leaflet FAQ
  • Who is it for?



    The course is suitable for people who are already qualified as Community Interpreters at Level 3 and who are looking to take the Institute of Linguists (IoL) Level 6 Diploma in Public Service Interpreting exam (Law option). The course will give you training and preparation in all the aspects you will need in order to confident of being successful in that exam.

    The course may also be suitable for you if you have been working as an interpreter for some time and may not have had formal qualifications when you began doing this, or if you achieved qualifications some time ago and which are no longer current. If you have any questions about which level of Interpreting course is most suitable for you, please contact the department at interpreting@marywardcentre.ac.uk and we will be able to advise you.

  • What does it cover?

    Please note that this course is designed to prepare you to take the DPSI exam as an external candidate and you will not achieve that qualification simply by enrolling on the course we are offering here. However, the content of the course is indexed to all the assessment elements of the DPSI course to help to prepare you to be successful in taking the exam.

    The course will provide some in-depth coverage of legal processes and terminology to prepare you to take the Law option of the DPSI exam. This will include guidance about the construction of a suitable glossary of legal terms , information about the different stages of legal proceedings and guidance about how to be able to conduct research so you can stay on top of changes in the field. As well as tutor input, this will be supported by visiting speakers who come to the course and by a visit to the Courts that will be organised as part of the course.

    You will cover the differences between the Community Interpreting model of interpreting and the Linguistic model used in DPSI assessments. This will include review of a range of interpreting techniques, including consecutive and simultaneous (whispered) interpreting. You will also continue to develop your skills in managing an interpreting assignment in accordance with DPSI requirements.. You will have the opportunity to engage in some extended role-plays that are conducted to the same format as those used in DPSI assessments and will receive feedback from course tutors and language specialists on these.

    You will also develop your skills in both Sight Translation and in writing the longer translations to and from your target language required by the DPSI assessment. You will be able to practice all forms of Translation and will again receive feedback on this from the course tutor and a language specialist.

    By the end of the course, you should be able to:
    - Explain the assessment requirements of the DPSI exam and know how to register for the exam
    - Explain a range of legal processes and terminology relevant to interpreting assignments
    - Use a glossary of legal terminology to inform interpreting, sight translation and text translation tasks in accordance with DPSI assessment requirements.
    - Be able to perform consecutive and simultaneous (whispered) interpreting in situations of 30 minutes duration in accordance with the model used in DPSI assessments
    -Be able to translate public service document of approximately 250 words to and from your target langauge with fluency and accuracy.

  • What will it be like?

    Class sessions will be very interactive and will involve lots of pair and group work as well as class discussion. There will be class sessions involving the input of visiting speakers with professional experience in both legal and policing contexts. There is a strong emphasis on developing your own performance through the use of both self assessment and the constructive engagement of your peers on the course. You will receive feedback from language specialists through video tutorials and one of these tutorial sessions will arise in response to your completion of a mock exam carried out to DPSI specifications.

  • What else do I need to buy or do?

    Acceptance onto the course is via tutor approval only and you will need to complete the application process. You can find a copy of the application form linked to this section of the website or you can request one by contacting us at interpreting@marywardcentre.ac.uk

    As outlined above, if you are planning to take the DPSI exam you will also need to register with the IoL as an external candidate and pay their examination registration fee. As the IoL cannot guarantee to be able to offer an examination each year for every community language, you are strongly advised to check with the IoL for the range of languages they expect to be able to offer for the June examination series before proceeding any further. Details of registration are available from the IoL website: www.ciol.org.uk

    As the course does involve the use of role-plays conducted in your target language you should also be aware that for some sessions you may need to be prepared to attend with someone who speaks your target language, if there is not already someone who can act as a language partner for you in the class. We will only know the composition of the languages represented in the course once class sessions begin, so you do need to be aware that it is a possibility that for short parts of some sessions you may need to be able to arrange for a language partner to be present.



  • What could it lead to?

    Taking the DPSI exams in June 2023. Successful completion of the DPSI Law option would mean that you are qualified to work as an interpreter in some legal contexts and gives you exemption from three of the five units of the Diploma in Police Interpreting (DPI) qualification. Completion of the remaining 2 units of the DPI would mean that you would be qualified to interpret across both sectors. On completion of the DPSI you will be able to apply for membership of both the National register of Public Service Interpreters and the Chartered Institute of Linguists, subject to their respective terms and conditions.

Available Courses

Level 6 - Preparation for the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (DPSI) Law Option

The DPSI course is the next stage in professional accreditation as a public service interpreter, following on from the level 3 Certificate course. Successful completion of the exam with Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIoL) will qualify you to work as an interpreter within legal settings and will give you further professional accreditation in other areas of interpreting. This course will prepare you to take the DPSI exam as an external candidate and will increase your chances of passing these demanding assessments. Entry to the course is by written application and interview. Please see full course description for more details. Application Form Advanced Learner Loan Information Leaflet FAQ

20 January 2023 – 09 June 2023
Friday, 10:30 to 15:30
Course Code:315L
£900 / £900
18 Meetings
1 Rushworth St
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Telephone Interpreting in the Public Services - Online

A course suitable for those who have completed the Level 3 Certificate in Community Interpreting and are now working as interpreter. Interpreting over the telephone is becoming increasingly common in the public services and can be an interesting and convenient way to work as an interpreter. However, it does present additional challenges which interpreters may not have been previously trained for. This very practice focused course will enable you to develop your skills and confidence in this area through role plays, observation and discussion. Please note to get full benefit from these role plays it may be necessary for you to come with a language partner for some sections of the course, if there is not already someone you could be paired with please see the full course description for more details. If you cannot download the application form, please contact: interpreting@marywardcentre.ac.uk Download Application Form

11 March 2023 – 18 March 2023
Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00
Course Code:321CS
£111 / £39
2 Meetings
Online Course
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01 July 2023 – 08 July 2023
Saturday, 10:00 to 17:00
Course Code:322CS
£111 / £39
2 Meetings
Online Course
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Community Interpreting Level 3 Certificate (Ascentis)

This nationally recognised qualification is for people who are fluent in English and another language. Applicants must have some experience, paid or unpaid, of interpreting in a public sector context in the UK. Some of this experience should be with people not previously personally known to the applicant. Participants have the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge needed to work as a community interpreter including the role of the interpreter, professional conduct and codes of practice and knowledge of the sectors within which they will be working - Housing, Health, Education, Immigration, Benefits and Social Services. Entry is by written application and interview only. Lower fees may be available for students aged 23 and under. Right click to choose where you wish to save the application form and brochure: Information Flyer Application Form FAQ Advanced Learner Loan Information Leaflet

25 April 2023 – 11 July 2023
Tuesday, 10:30 to 17:30
Course Code:311L
£724 / £724
12 Meetings
1 Rushworth St
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06 May 2023 – 22 July 2023
Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00
Course Code:314L
£724 / £724
12 Meetings
1 Rushworth St
View Course
20 September 2022 – 06 December 2022
Tuesday, 10:30 to 17:30
Course Code:309L
£724 / £724
12 Meetings
1 Rushworth St
View Course
17 January 2023 – 28 March 2023
Tuesday, 10:30 to 17:30
Course Code:310L
£724 / £724
11 Meetings
1 Rushworth St
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Developing Your Skills as a Community Interpreter Level 2 (Ascentis)

For those who have completed a Level 1 Interpreting course. This course is the ideal opportunity for you to develop some of the academic skills that you will need in order to progress onto the Level 3 qualifications in Community Interpreting, whilst also developing your knowledge of interpreting practice and the public services. We will look at how to improve your written expression in academic English and how to carry out research for interpreting assignments effectively. All the academic skills taught on the course will be embedded in the context of increasing your knowledge of Community Interpreting. Entry is by interview only. Please contact the Centre for further information. FAQ

06 May 2023 – 22 July 2023
Saturday & Sunday, 13:30 to 17:30
Course Code:308
£341 / £95 / £0
12 Meetings
1 Rushworth St
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24 September 2022 – 10 December 2022
Saturday, 13:30 to 17:30
Course Code:306
£341 / £95 / £0
12 Meetings
1 Rushworth St
View Course
21 January 2023 – 01 April 2023
Saturday & Sunday, 13:30 to 17:30
Course Code:307
£341 / £95 / £0
12 Meetings
1 Rushworth St
View Course

Meet The Tutor

For more information contact langs@marywardcentre.ac.uk at admin@marywardcentre.ac.uk

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