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DPSI vs Community Interpreting Certificate Course (UK)
Thread poster: vivienhu
vivienhu
vivienhu
Local time: 18:29
English to Chinese
Jan 22, 2013

Hi there,

I am very interested in Interpreting , so I decided to join a course and obtain a qualification to be able to work as an interpreter.

After lots of online research, I ve learnt that there are two options: DPSI and Community Interpreting Certificate. I understand that DPSI is a much higher qualification, and CIC is probably more suitable for a beginner. However, considering the two courses length/fee are almost the same , this makes me think twice before I deci
... See more
Hi there,

I am very interested in Interpreting , so I decided to join a course and obtain a qualification to be able to work as an interpreter.

After lots of online research, I ve learnt that there are two options: DPSI and Community Interpreting Certificate. I understand that DPSI is a much higher qualification, and CIC is probably more suitable for a beginner. However, considering the two courses length/fee are almost the same , this makes me think twice before I decide:

I would like to get DPSI eventually but I am not sure whether it is a bit too ambitious to go straight for this option. Who knows... I might end up not be able to pass the exam .

At the mean time, CIC seems quite expensive and I will be paying double the price and taking a longer route if I obtain CIC and do DPSI afterwards.

Please can anyone give me some advice ?

PS: I work fulltime so I can only do weekend course. is Middlesex University's any good? or College of Northwest London or any others in London..... Some feedback on from anyone who has taken the course would be much appreciated.
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Will Croxford
Will Croxford  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Chinese to English
+ ...
DPSI is only exam fee Jan 23, 2013

Hi Vivien,

I am native British interpreter with CIC now, and my own experience of commercial and your group interpreting, and product sourcing. DPSI is a very high level linguistic exam, and the fee to take the exam is high. I did CIC course at South Thames College in London, which was less than 150GBP I think for level 3 (they let me skip level 2 but normally they won't so that would be similar fee). If you attend the classes and do the coursework you will pass. There is no languag
... See more
Hi Vivien,

I am native British interpreter with CIC now, and my own experience of commercial and your group interpreting, and product sourcing. DPSI is a very high level linguistic exam, and the fee to take the exam is high. I did CIC course at South Thames College in London, which was less than 150GBP I think for level 3 (they let me skip level 2 but normally they won't so that would be similar fee). If you attend the classes and do the coursework you will pass. There is no language teaching as part of CIC course, you are in mixed language class, which is good in some ways.

DPSI you have to teach yourself the language skills needed, takes time. I'm working towards the oral (interpreting) exams for Law DPSI, which makes you eligible for Home Office interpreting. As a foreigner, the sight translation exam for Chinese DPSI will be the most difficult, I think for Chinese too very difficult. And simutaneous interpreting is a new skill which you need a lot of practice to pass the DPSI exam. Lots of people fail DPSI every year, but you can retake a number of times, see Institute of Linguists website!

祝你好运气!

Will Croxford
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Tatty
Tatty  Identity Verified
Local time: 19:29
Spanish to English
+ ...
Sounds like a good scheme Jan 23, 2013

That way the IoL can rake in exam resit fees every year... Part of the design, I'm sure.

Habibulla Josefi
 
Ania Heasley
Ania Heasley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:29
English to Polish
+ ...
Different league Jan 23, 2013

Community Interpreting Course level 3 (level 2 is a waste of time imho, as it is not treated as a proper qualification at all any more) is an entry level interpreting course.

DPSI is the highest qualification widely available.

If you are a beginner in the field, go for CIC, the price is not that prohibitive, it is a good introduction to what public service interpreting is all about, and it is very easy to pass. In fact, it is almost impossible not to pass, provided yo
... See more
Community Interpreting Course level 3 (level 2 is a waste of time imho, as it is not treated as a proper qualification at all any more) is an entry level interpreting course.

DPSI is the highest qualification widely available.

If you are a beginner in the field, go for CIC, the price is not that prohibitive, it is a good introduction to what public service interpreting is all about, and it is very easy to pass. In fact, it is almost impossible not to pass, provided you attend the sessions.
CIC level 3 will allow you to put your foot in the door of public service interpreting, i.e. 'main players' in the field, which is 2-3 agencies, but no names allowed here, will allow you to register with them. You will be given assingments at hospitals, schools, children and young people services (local councils), probation offices, social services. You will also be eligible to work for the same agencies as a telephone interpreter for local and national government and tax offices, benefits offices, etc.

DPSI is a real test whether you are any good or not. It separates the men from the boys.
I would not advise you to attempt DPSI straight away, you will just end up losing a lot of money on resits, and the atmosphere around the exam is pretty stressful too.
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Language 2018
 
vivienhu
vivienhu
Local time: 18:29
English to Chinese
TOPIC STARTER
CIC is not that cheap now Jan 23, 2013

Will Croxford wrote:

Hi Vivien,

I am native British interpreter with CIC now, and my own experience of commercial and your group interpreting, and product sourcing. DPSI is a very high level linguistic exam, and the fee to take the exam is high. I did CIC course at South Thames College in London, which was less than 150GBP I think for level 3 (they let me skip level 2 but normally they won't so that would be similar fee). If you attend the classes and do the coursework you will pass. There is no language teaching as part of CIC course, you are in mixed language class, which is good in some ways.

DPSI you have to teach yourself the language skills needed, takes time. I'm working towards the oral (interpreting) exams for Law DPSI, which makes you eligible for Home Office interpreting. As a foreigner, the sight translation exam for Chinese DPSI will be the most difficult, I think for Chinese too very difficult. And simutaneous interpreting is a new skill which you need a lot of practice to pass the DPSI exam. Lots of people fail DPSI every year, but you can retake a number of times, see Institute of Linguists website!

祝你好运气!

Will Croxford


Hi Will, Thank you for your reply and advice. very helpful.
Yes I think CIC is more suitable for me right now. Is South Thames College in London 's course any good? I have checked some other course providers, some are much more expensive than others!

Vivien


 
vivienhu
vivienhu
Local time: 18:29
English to Chinese
TOPIC STARTER
very useful advice! Jan 23, 2013

Ania Heasley wrote:

Community Interpreting Course level 3 (level 2 is a waste of time imho, as it is not treated as a proper qualification at all any more) is an entry level interpreting course.

DPSI is the highest qualification widely available.

If you are a beginner in the field, go for CIC, the price is not that prohibitive, it is a good introduction to what public service interpreting is all about, and it is very easy to pass. In fact, it is almost impossible not to pass, provided you attend the sessions.
CIC level 3 will allow you to put your foot in the door of public service interpreting, i.e. 'main players' in the field, which is 2-3 agencies, but no names allowed here, will allow you to register with them. You will be given assingments at hospitals, schools, children and young people services (local councils), probation offices, social services. You will also be eligible to work for the same agencies as a telephone interpreter for local and national government and tax offices, benefits offices, etc.

DPSI is a real test whether you are any good or not. It separates the men from the boys.
I would not advise you to attempt DPSI straight away, you will just end up losing a lot of money on resits, and the atmosphere around the exam is pretty stressful too.


Hi Ania,

Thank you for your advice! yes I think I will go for the CIC for now as a beginner and work towards DPSI in future.

Any advice on choosing CIC course providers? I live around London so there are quite a few options but costs are vary, really confused now....
thanks again!

Vivien


 
Ania Heasley
Ania Heasley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:29
English to Polish
+ ...
Mary Ward Centre Jan 24, 2013

Did you have a look at MWC? It's in Holborn, so v cenral

Some London councils also run these courses, it would be worth contacting your local one.
Good luck!


 
Aleksandra Fiddler
Aleksandra Fiddler  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:29
English to Polish
+ ...
just an idea Mar 10, 2013

You might also try to have look at online training.
I run 2 courses for new and prospective interpreters here on ProZ

See more
You might also try to have look at online training.
I run 2 courses for new and prospective interpreters here on ProZ

http://www.proz.com/translator-training/course/7139-interpreting_in_the_courts_uk_dpsi_met_test_preparation

http://www.proz.com/translator-training/course/7142-legal_terminology_interpreting_for_the_police_uk_dpsi_met_test_preparation
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Vanessa A-L
Vanessa A-L
Local time: 18:29
CIC level 3 Mar 11, 2013

Hello!
I have read your useful comments and have then decided to be wise and go for the CIC level 3 before the DPSI as I haven`t got much knowledge of professional translation. Where can I study it though? Are there several colleges offering the course in England or is it simply taught in London?
Thanks in advance. xx

Ps: I live in the West Midlands, would there be anything in Birmingham or Manchester? I couldn`t find anything on the net. Thanks again for your help!
... See more
Hello!
I have read your useful comments and have then decided to be wise and go for the CIC level 3 before the DPSI as I haven`t got much knowledge of professional translation. Where can I study it though? Are there several colleges offering the course in England or is it simply taught in London?
Thanks in advance. xx

Ps: I live in the West Midlands, would there be anything in Birmingham or Manchester? I couldn`t find anything on the net. Thanks again for your help!

[Edited at 2013-03-11 13:45 GMT]

[Edited at 2013-03-11 13:53 GMT]

[Edited at 2013-03-11 14:38 GMT]
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Ania Heasley
Ania Heasley  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:29
English to Polish
+ ...
Another couple of ideas :) Mar 11, 2013

I didn't realise advertising your own training services is acceptable as part of responding to a forum query, but since it looks like it is, here goes:

http://www.aniaspoland.com/METRevision.php

http://www.aniaspoland.com/interpreting.php


Eyyüp Yaprak
 
Mira66
Mira66
Local time: 18:29
Persian (Farsi) to English
very low pass rate Apr 1, 2013

DPSI exam's pass rate is only about %30.
the exam costs around £700,and most preparatory courses are not good and they cost at least around the same as the exam.
add to that cost and time of travelling to few exam centres twice,as the exam is always taken in two different days..

I'm doing the course myself and I have registered for the exam this year and have payed all the fees already,but now that I've found out the pass rates are so low I regret my decision,I'm at ver
... See more
DPSI exam's pass rate is only about %30.
the exam costs around £700,and most preparatory courses are not good and they cost at least around the same as the exam.
add to that cost and time of travelling to few exam centres twice,as the exam is always taken in two different days..

I'm doing the course myself and I have registered for the exam this year and have payed all the fees already,but now that I've found out the pass rates are so low I regret my decision,I'm at very good level of English (and the other language) but the pass rate of %30 just shows the exam is not fit for purpose imo.

I forgot to mention if you any part of the exam you will need to pay for that again + paying the extra centre fee (around £170) again.
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Habibulla Josefi
 
mine evans
mine evans
United Kingdom
community interpreting course Apr 25, 2014

hello all
I live in Swansea, Wales and looking for community interpreting course but can't find any
i was wondering if anyone could help me?
thanks


 
David Lin
David Lin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:29
Member (2013)
English to Chinese
+ ...

MODERATOR
Try this Apr 26, 2014

vivienhu wrote:

Ania Heasley wrote:

Community Interpreting Course level 3 (level 2 is a waste of time imho, as it is not treated as a proper qualification at all any more) is an entry level interpreting course.

DPSI is the highest qualification widely available.

If you are a beginner in the field, go for CIC, the price is not that prohibitive, it is a good introduction to what public service interpreting is all about, and it is very easy to pass. In fact, it is almost impossible not to pass, provided you attend the sessions.
CIC level 3 will allow you to put your foot in the door of public service interpreting, i.e. 'main players' in the field, which is 2-3 agencies, but no names allowed here, will allow you to register with them. You will be given assingments at hospitals, schools, children and young people services (local councils), probation offices, social services. You will also be eligible to work for the same agencies as a telephone interpreter for local and national government and tax offices, benefits offices, etc.

DPSI is a real test whether you are any good or not. It separates the men from the boys.
I would not advise you to attempt DPSI straight away, you will just end up losing a lot of money on resits, and the atmosphere around the exam is pretty stressful too.


Hi Ania,

Thank you for your advice! yes I think I will go for the CIC for now as a beginner and work towards DPSI in future.

Any advice on choosing CIC course providers? I live around London so there are quite a few options but costs are vary, really confused now....
thanks again!

Vivien


Hi Vivien,

I agreed to almost all the inputs from the colleagues here who responded to your question. With regard to DPSI or Community Interpreting course, try the one at Hammersmith and Fulham. The link is here:

http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Community_Service_Directory/result_detail.asp?externalId=Zb2VVNep8o8

I am not sure about other students but I found my learning experience at Hammersmith and Fulham a very good one. I graduated from the DPSI course and took the exam many years ago. Not sure the pass rate then but I remember it was hard to pass one component - simultaneous interpreting. It was the hardest part for me (and later I knew other of my classmates too) because if you miss the key terms or fail to interpret the key terms correctly like one or two and not able to recover by providing the correct meaning, it'd be a fail.

Other classmates found sight translation the hardest part. Either component, I think more training and drills at home or at work (if it requires this service) would help to overcome the potential problems one might have.

When preparing for the exam itself, we were provided with simulation sessions in class. The course invited tutors of different languages to help us practice like in real exam setting. Of course I couldn't avoid being nervous when at the exam centre not only because the contents were new and unexpected. This meant you really had to be well prepared about the meanings of all glossaries of Public Service (which the course provided) but you also had to get familiar with the voice and sound of the examiners within the first few minutes after entering the exam room.

Good luck!


 
David Lin
David Lin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:29
Member (2013)
English to Chinese
+ ...

MODERATOR
training opportunities in Wales Apr 27, 2014

mine evans wrote:

hello all
I live in Swansea, Wales and looking for community interpreting course but can't find any
i was wondering if anyone could help me?
thanks


Hi

Have you tried these links?

http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/learn/

http://wits.uk.com/interpreters/courses-at-cardiff-university

Good luck!


 
EL_isa
EL_isa
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:29
English to Italian
+ ...
Level 2 Interpreting (UK)? Apr 16, 2015

Ania Heasley wrote:

Community Interpreting Course .... (level 2 is a waste of time imho, as it is not treated as a proper qualification at all any more)


Dear Ania, Dear All,

I have just seen this old post since I have just found a course starting next week for Level 2 (Northern England). However, now I am reading here that Level 2 is not not worth it - plus the course costs £105 ! Thing is that I have zero experience, so I thought Level 2 could be a good start....but, what percentage of job offers will I get with such a low qualification?

I normally prefer to do things step by step as I have learnt from experience that practice sometimes pays off more than good qualifications (which I will take one day however!).


Many Thanks for your help!
Regards


 
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DPSI vs Community Interpreting Certificate Course (UK)







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