Course Descriptions

FLIN 100 - Introduction to Interpreting - 3.00 credits

Prerequisite: Appropriate proficiency test score. This course is a general introduction to the field of interpreting in the legal and medical settings. Coursework will focus on the role of the interpreter, cultural competency and ethics, modes of interpretation, and legal issues that affect the profession and organization of a free-lance business.

FLIN 105 - Fundamentals of Interpreting - 3.00 credits

Prerequisite: FLIN 100 or concurrent enrollment. This course is the study and practice of the basic theory and techniques of language interpretation. This course will develop students' skills in consecutive and simultaneous interpreting and sight translation. Emphasis is placed on activities that are designed to develop oral/aural skills, memory, basic note-taking techniques, public speaking, and language-switching skills for interpreting in legal and health care settings.

FLIN 110 - Medical Interpreting - 3.00 credits

Prerequisite: FLIN 105, BIOL 150 with a minimum grade of C. Instruction will focus on the terminology of medical conditions, procedures, devices, and courses of treatment in a variety of settings such as: hospitals, clinics, doctor's offices, mental health and psychiatric facilities. Ethical and cultural issues will be discussed in relation to the oral discourse patterns used by health care providers when talking to patients and family members. Additional instruction will center on sight translation, consecutive and simultaneous interpreting in medical settings.

FLIN 115 - Legal Interpreting - 3.00 credits

Prerequisite: FLIN 105. This course introduces students to the trial process common to all American courts by examining fundamental courtroom procedures, the hierarchy of courts, the legal process, and the divisions of the legal system of the United States, Missouri, and Kansas. Students will analyze legal and civil documents and focus on the characteristics of legal English: its terminology, its linguistic structures, and its social and psychological functions. Additional instruction will focus on sight translation, consecutive and simultaneous interpreting in legal settings.

FLIN 120 - Interpreting Practicum - 3.00 credits

Prerequisite: FLIN 110 and FLIN 115. The student will interpret at a practicum site under the supervision of a mentor.