2025 Legal Interpreting Summit: Agenda
A1 | Court Interpreting Lite (Part I)
This seminar will provide an overview of the legal system for practicing and potential court interpreters, including discussion of the roles of court interpreters, positioning of court interpreters, courtroom personnel, pre‑requisite knowledge and skills for a legal interpreter, court code of conduct, roles and protocol for court interpreters.
Participants will be able to:
- Articulate the differences between community interpreting and legal interpreting, and the differences between legal interpreting and court interpreting.
- State the three major functions used in court interpreting
- Explain how evidentiary principles such as hearsay and the contemporary objection rule affect interpreters.
- Define the three accepted modes of interpreting in court and state the principles involved in note taking while consecutive interpreting.
A2 | Sign What You Mean: Legal Semantics in Practice
This interactive session is designed to help participants explore the role of semantics in legal interpreting, with an emphasis on how meaning is shaped and conveyed through ASL. Participants will examine how word choice, phrasing, and context influence interpretation accuracy and clarity in legal settings. The goal is to support interpreters in making more deliberate and effective language decisions when working in complex legal discourse.
Participants will be able to:
- Identify and explain the impact of semantics on legal interpretation in ASL
- Apply strategies for analyzing and rendering legally nuanced language more accurately
B1 | Court Interpreting Lite (Part II)
Part II of this seminar will continue to provide an overview of the legal system for practicing and potential court interpreters, including discussion of the roles of court interpreters, positioning of court interpreters, courtroom personnel, pre‑requisite knowledge and skills for a legal interpreter, court code of conduct, roles and protocol for court interpreters.
Participants will be able to:
- Articulate the differences between community interpreting and legal interpreting, and the differences between legal interpreting and court interpreting.
- State the three major functions used in court interpreting
- Explain how evidentiary principles such as hearsay and the contemporary objection rule affect interpreters.
- Define the three accepted modes of interpreting in court and state the principles involved in note taking while consecutive interpreting.
B2 | Breaking Down Legalese: A Visual Approach for ASL Interpreters
This session offers a focused review of commonly encountered legal terms and their accurate representation in ASL. Participants will engage with vocabulary spanning various legal contexts, while discussing strategies to maintain clarity, precision, and neutrality. The session aims to reinforce interpreter confidence and consistency when interpreting legal terminology.
Participants will be able to:
- Recognize and define at least ten frequently used legal terms
- Demonstrate accurate and contextually appropriate ASL representations of legal vocabulary.
* Designated as RID PPO Session
B2 | Session Title Coming Soon
C1 | Interpreting Legal Depositions
This course is designed to provide participants with a theoretical overview of a commonly interpreted civil legal setting – the deposition. The presenter will provide a description of the goals and purposes of the deposition and its role in the civil legal process. The roles of the deposition interpreter and the table interpreter will be examined. The presenter will lead a discussion and practical application of consecutive interpretation and notetaking. Participants will discuss various ethical issues that commonly arise in depositions. Participants will practice interpreting a deposition transcript. Finally, participants will engage in peer review and discussion of their interpreting work.
Participants will be able to:
- State the 3 purposes for taking a civil deposition and the 2 primary uses for the transcript
- Staff a civil deposition given two different configurations of deaf participants in order to ensure the 3 legal interpreting functions are covered.
- Shall consecutively interpret a transcript while using note taking techniques and analyze their work and the work of their peers.
* Designated as RID PPO Session
C2 | Session Title Coming Soon
D1 | Session Title Coming Soon
D2 | Co-Interpreting in Legal Settings – Hearing and Deaf Interpreter Collaboration
This session centers on the dynamics and best practices of co-interpreting between hearing and Deaf interpreters in legal contexts. Participants will explore the unique roles, responsibilities, and ethical considerations involved in these partnerships, with attention to preparation, real-time decision-making, and post-assignment debriefing. The goal is to enhance team cohesion and improve outcomes in high-stakes legal environments through intentional collaboration.
Participants will be able to:
- Describe the roles and contributions of both hearing and Deaf interpreters in legal interpreting teams
- Apply at least three strategies for effective co-interpreting preparation, coordination, and ethical decision-making in legal settings.
E1 | Session Title Coming Soon
E2 | Session Title Coming Soon
Conference Registration
Registration for the 2025 Legal Interpreting Summit is now open.