Personalized Training to Fit Your Needs

Our private tutoring sessions can help you further your education and sharpen your skills, whether you are just starting out or already an established professional. Each session’s curriculum is carefully designed with your needs and goals in mind.

What You Need, When You Need It

  • Prepare for an exam
  • Polish up on a specific mode of interpretation
  • Take a skill-building refresher lesson
  • Get personalized feedback on your interpretation

How Does it Work?

First, you will schedule and take a short mock exam that mimics the state court interpreter oral exam. This will give your tutor a demonstration of your current skill levels and allow them to give you customized feedback.

Next, you and your tutor will schedule your hour-long session. Tutoring is conducted via a user-friendly online platform which allows for live instruction and meaningful interaction between instructor and student. You can meet with your instructor from anywhere in the world!

If you decide that you would like more training and feedback, you can purchase additional hours of private tutoring at a discounted rate.

 

Meet the Instructors

james-circ

James Plunkett is a nationally-known interpreter instructor. He also trains new judges and court staff on how to work with court interpreters. He is certified by the AOUSC as a Spanish and English court interpreter. He is a rater for anational credentialing program for interpreters. He has worked as a court interpreter for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Florida and as the Coordinator of Interpreting Services and Language Access Program for the District of Columbia Courts. He speaks and trains at state court interpreter programs nationwide and through online teaching platforms. He holds a BA degree in General Social Studies from Providence College.  He was raised in Lima, Peru. He also communicates in Portuguese, some French and basic American Sign Language.

Claudia Villalba 2018-2019

Claudia E. Villalba,  is a freelance court interpreter with over 20 years experience. She is certified at the federal level by the U.S. Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts; certified in the State of Florida, formerly a Master Level interpreter in the State New Jersey where she worked during the first ten years of her profession in Hudson and Middlesex County Superior Courts before moving to Florida where she was the Supervising Court Interpreter for the 7th Judicial Circuit for 11 years. She has been a subject matter expert for both the State and the Federal certification program for court interpreters; She has been an instructor for DE LA MORA Interpreter Training for more than 8 years providing on-site and on-line training and one-on-one tutoring. Claudia, a Cali, Colombia native, is very passionate about the interpreting profession, language access rights and she enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with aspiring interpreters as a way of paying it forward.

liz-circ

Dr. Lizbeth Mendoza is originally from Mexico City, where she received her M.D. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Over the course of 13 years she has participated in different areas of Medicine including research, academics, and bilingual medical services as well as editing and translation of medical content. She is a Spanish Certified Medical Interpreter (CMI), freelance interpreter, and mentor for Medical interpreters. She is a member of the IMIA where she contributes actively as Vice-chair of the IMIA Colorado Chapter and Member of the Education Committee. She is an advocate for humanism, professionalism, continuing education and excellence in any healthcare practice, as well as of student-centered learning approaches, patient-centered practices, collaborative learning environments, and the Problem Based Learning methodology at any level of training or education.

Maria Ceballos-Wallis is a Georgia/Florida Certified Spanish-English Interpreter on staff with the DeKalb County State Court, in Decatur, GA. She has worked in multilingual communications since 1990. Maria received a certificate in translation studies from Florida International University and was certified as Spanish><English translator by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters in Australia. She is also a Georgia-registered civil and domestic mediator. Maria holds an M.A. in international studies from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, FL and a B.A. in communication arts with a minor in French from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY.  She has also taught English as a second language at Miami Dade Community College, lectured on mass communications as an adjunct at Florida International University (Spanish/English), taught online classes with DE LA MORA Institute of Interpretation and presented at NAJIT, AAIT and Emory Healthcare Interpreter Conferences. Maria occupied various key positions on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators from 2011 – 2016. In 2017 Maria was appointed to represent interpreters on the Board of the Georgia Commission on Interpreters.
 

Mock exam + 1 hr tutoring: $150

Additional hours: $99

Reduced Rate Available Through Membership Program

FAQs

Can I divide my one hour class into two separate halves? 

Yes. You can divide your one hour class into two sessions of half an hour each. This option is only available to those who pay for only one hour of instruction.

My friend and I would like to take the private class together. Can we do that? 

Yes, but please be advised that both students will be charged separately.

I am looking to become certified and need the right training to get me there. Is a private tutor the right choice for me? 

We highly recommend taking your state’s interpreter orientation and written exam before considering tutoring. For more information on the steps to becoming an interpreter, click here. If you have already taken these steps, then we recommend our live online interpreter training courses, which are specially catered to beginners in the field. If you feel like private tutoring is your best option because of scheduling issues or your personal learning style, we are happy to help you! Simply fill out the questionnaire below to get started.

Private Tutoring Contact Form

In the "Message" field, tell us what kind of training you are looking for, any goals or deadlines you may have for your training, and any other relevant information. You can also use this form to request more information or ask questions about our tutoring program.

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