Community interpreting is a study program at university level related to the increasing need to interpret in a number of foreign languages, for example due to situations in the fields of justice, health, schools and social affairs. The program concludes with a 60 credit basic diploma or part of a bachelor’s degree.
The program aims to train students in interpreting between Icelandic and a foreign language, and is designed for interpreters in languages not taught at Icelandic universities and/or people who have mastered Icelandic and know the infrastructure of society well enough to communicate knowledge to their compatriots.
Requirements
Admission requirements are a matriculation examination or a comparable study program. Good knowledge of one’s own language and Icelandic is essential, but experience with community interpreting is important.
The program is credit-worthy for subsistence and tuition fees at the Student Education Fund (Menntasjóður námsmanna). Trade union education funds often provide scholarships for study. Get more information from your union.
Curriculum
The study program is taught every two years and is spread over two school years. Just over half of the program is based on academic courses, while almost half consists of practical training.
Study
Studies in community interpretating have been offered at the University of Iceland’s Faculty of Humanities, both as a 60 credit basic diploma and as a minor subject in a Bachelor’s degree.
Lifelong learning centers have also offered courses in community interpreting.
After graduation
Community interpreters mainly work in connection with foreign citizens’ relations with authorities and service providers, such as within the judicial, healthcare and education systems.
Related education
