Happy New Year, dear Readers! May the new year bring joy and peace to you and your family! Cheers to new beginnings!
Language Advocacy Day 2023
In celebration of Language Advocacy Day on February 22nd, the Language Access Coalition of Canada will explore the importance of language education and storytelling in preserving culture and history and in fostering a sense of belonging and solidarity in their third annual conference, taking place in February 2023.
The conference, sponsored by MCIS Language Solutions, is envisioned as a gathering place for language rights advocates and stakeholders – individuals, institutions, and organizations (profit, non-profit, NGOs), academia and various levels of government - who are passionate about official, Indigenous, and non-official languages spoken in Canada. The Conference also provides opportunities to meet, share, learn about and collaborate on projects that promote language rights and linguistic justice advocacy across Canada. This Conference is a free, virtual event simultaneously interpreted in both official languages as well as American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ).
To highlight the contribution of the Coalition members that have been supporting LACC’s efforts since early 2020, this year we are thrilled to introduce a brand new “marketplace” feature to learn more about language industry organizations, both for-profit and non-profit, who are committed to their social purpose and the creation of social value and social capital.
Training and Professional Development Opportunities
Free Resources: Interpreting for Education and School Settings
If you wish to refresh your knowledge on interpreting in educational and school settings, which typically includes interpreting in parent-teachers meetings, for special education, regarding individualized education plans (IEP), for school board, disciplinary sessions, and different learning therapy sessions, we have useful resources that you could look at. You will find glossaries, material for practicing sight translation, guidelines on best practice and other relevant tools and tips. Click here to access:
Free Training: Working with Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence Survivors
In this training, you will learn about interpreting in settings that involve victims and survivors of human trafficking and sexual violence, including managing common situations you may be confronted with, acting professionally in the various contexts you may be called upon to interpret, and to successfully deal with challenges and dilemmas that you might come across. We also have plenty of resources related to this for your edification and future reference. Click here to access the training:
Continued Competence for Translators: Introduction to Transcription
Are you looking to upgrade your skills or expand your services as a translator? Consider taking the Introduction to Transcription training. This is a professional development course designed to provide freelance translators with the opportunity to explore the field of transcription, its different types and purposes as well as to practice transcribing audio/video recordings using different types of transcription guidelines.
Continued Competence for Interpreters: Remote Interpretation Training
If you are looking to train yourself for remote interpretation assignments, which are extremely popular now, consider taking our e-learning course on this topic, which will guide you through the expectations and best practices of remote interpretation. You will learn the nature and process of remote interpretation assignments, platform expectations, common challenges and solutions, and performance requirements.
If you wish to take a language proficiency test to get your linguistic and interpretation skills in English and another language evaluated, you might want to take the Interpreter Language & Skills Assessment Tool (ILSAT), which MCIS is now offering. Developed by the Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration, it is a formal language test for interested candidates to acquire professional certification as a community interpreter in various social service sectors. Here is the link to the application form:
Want to Become a Professional Chinese Interpreter in Canada?
Please scan the QR code to contact the CITG training team:
CILISAT Testing Center
CITG is licensed to offer CILISAT remotely and conducts language tests in more than 50 different language combinations. To book your test, please use this link:
When: Wednesday, January 25, 2023, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. EST
Where: More details will be sent closer to the date.
MCIS Wants to Hear From You!
Our Training and Vendor Relations Department is always trying to come up with new ways to support language professionals in the industry. Let us know how we are doing and what you want to see in 2023! Email engagement@mcis.on.ca
