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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED QUALIFICATION: 

Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting 
SAQA QUAL ID QUALIFICATION TITLE
115460  Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting 
ORIGINATOR
Sol Plaatje University 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education  HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework 
QUALIFICATION TYPE FIELD SUBFIELD
Higher Certificate  Field 08 - Law, Military Science and Security  Justice in Society 
ABET BAND MINIMUM CREDITS PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL QUAL CLASS
Undefined  120  Not Applicable  NQF Level 05  Regular-Provider-ELOAC 
REGISTRATION STATUS SAQA DECISION NUMBER REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE
Reregistered  EXCO 0821/24  2019-12-17  2027-06-30 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2028-06-30   2031-06-30  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification. 

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION 
Purpose:
The purpose of the Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting is to provide an opportunity for court interpreters who are already in the profession as well as newcomers to the field of court interpreting to obtain a recognised formal and professional qualification.
The main aim of the qualification is to professionally equip learners with the necessary skills to render a specialised service in court interpreting to the South African legal system in general.

Learner may also use their interpreting skills in other spheres of society such as the medical field, local municipalities, educational institutions, national and local government services, the legislature, business, etcetera. The qualified learners may utilise their services in global institutions such as the United Nations. The United Nations's interpreters play an essential role in the sphere of global communication bringing different nations together. The qualification should also enable learners to be critical and reflective practitioners and specialists in the field of interpreting. Critical thinking and reflective skills will enable these learners to address numerous complexities relating to interpreting.

Rationale:
Due to the shortage of formally and professionally trained court interpreters, the institution endeavours to make a valuable contribution in this regard by introducing a formal qualification in the form of the Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting that should address the court interpreting needs of the province. The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development currently employs a substantial number of court interpreters who do not have a formal qualification in court interpreting. For this reason, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development requested the Department of Languages and Communication at the institution to assess these court interpreters and issue them with a certificate of competence. In the light of the above request, the Department of Languages and Communication decided to go a step further and also introduce a formal qualification in court interpreting to address this needs gap.

The qualification equips learners to render a specialised service in court interpreting to the South African legal system in general. Over and above court interpreting certificated learners may also render their services in a variety of instances, such as conferences, meetings, functions, and lectures. In the qualification, learners will not only learn to uphold the ethos of their profession but also to protect the constitutional rights of the tried individual in his/her language.

Learners with excellent spoken and written language capabilities in English and at least one other South African language from the following group will be encouraged to enrol for the Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting: Afrikaans, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Tshivenda, Xhosa and Zulu. The demand will drive the presentation of the languages mentioned above. The qualification offers an opportunity for upgrading the skills of court interpreters, language practitioners and language learners, thereby enhancing their career prospects and professional status. Combined with an active component of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) the Certificate qualification in court interpreting provides for the integration of theory and practice, thereby ensuring that learners are work-ready after obtaining the qualification. An advanced level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence is thus required from learners enrolling for this qualification.

The learners will contribute to social and economic transformation in South Africa in general. The qualification ensures the protection of the individual's constitutional right to equal access to the legal system via the court setting and fairness through the use of a language or languages which he/she fully understands during court proceedings. 

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
The formal RPL policy of the institution applies in instances where learners do not meet the minimum admission requirements for entry into the Higher Certificate in Court Interpreting. As such, the following stipulations regarding RPL as contained in the institution's policy document will apply:
  • The institution acknowledges that they will apply RPL when applicable to a specific discipline or qualification offered at the institution. The institution will treat learning acquired from other qualifications under the credit Accumulation and Transfer policy.
  • Learners seeking access to higher education without a formal school-leaving certificate or equivalent must consult with the relevant Qualification Head. The Qualification Head will determine in consultation with the relevant sub-committee of the department to the Registrar. There must be an assessment focusing on whether the learner could reasonably complete the qualification in question. The Matriculation Board deals with applications for Mature Age exemptions where:
  • The learner can make an appeal against RPL decisions to the Registrar and responded to by the relevant Head of Department in writing. The Registrar is the final arbiter in the decision making.
  • The institution must Flagg all learners admitted via RPL in the ITS system as such, and a record of such admissions and maintain and monitor the learners' progress.

    Entry Requirements:
    The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is:
  • Senior Certificate, NQF Level 4.
    Or
  • National Senior Certificate, NQF Level 4 granting access to Higher Certificate studies.
    Or
  • National Certificate Vocational, NQF Level 4 granting access to Higher Certificate studies. 
    		•

    RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING? 
    Y 

    QUALIFICATION RULES 
    This qualification consists of one compulsory module at Level 5, totalling 136 Credits.

    Compulsory Modules, 136 Credits:
  • SCOR1, 8 Credits.
  • Introduction to basic Interpreting Skills, 16 Credits.
  • Liaison Interpreting Contexts, 16 Credits.
  • English Communication Skills for Interpreters, 16 Credits.
  • Law Theory and Court Procedures for Interpreters, 16 Credits.
  • SCOR 2, 8 Credits.
  • Legal Interpreting Skills, 16 Credits.
  • Legal English, 16 Credits.
  • Language Refinement for Court Interpreters, 16 Credits.
  • Work Integrated Learning (WIL), 8 Credits. 
    		•

    EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES 
    1. Draw from a sound knowledge base concerning interpreting and communication (written, oral, and listening) to demonstrate their understanding and application of interpreting and communication concepts, terminologies, principles and strategies.
    2. Apply communication skills (written, oral, and listening skills) in a legal environment such as a court.
    3. Understand law theory, terminology, concepts, legal language (jargon) and court procedures and processes.
    4. Apply interpreting skills within a legal context. 

    ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 
    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
  • Explain interpreting and communication concepts, terminologies and principles.
  • Identify and explain interpreting and communication strategies to be followed within a court interpreting context.
  • Evaluate interpreting and communication strategies to be applied within a court interpreting context.
  • Distinguish between interpreting and translation.
  • Distinguish between the different modes of interpreting (e.g. consecutive, simultaneous interpreting, whispered interpreting, sight interpreting and summary interpreting.
  • Apply the different modes of interpreting (i.e. short consecutive interpreting, long consecutive interpreting, whispered interpreting and sight interpreting.
  • Distinguish between consecutive and simultaneous interpreting.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
  • Demonstrate the use and application of different communication skills (i.e. written, oral, listening skills) within a controlled legal context.
  • Compile glossaries and vocabulary lists to ensure fluency of interpreting.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
  • Analyse and interpret source language messages recalled from memory.
  • Reformulate source language messages.
  • Select the appropriate interpreting style or mode (i.e. short consecutive interpreting, long consecutive interpreting, whispered interpreting sight interpreting [i.e. oral rendering of a written text from one language into another] and summary interpreting [not recommended for legal contexts]) for a particular interactive context.
  • Arrange messages logically to ensure that there are similarities in terms of meaning and communicative content between the source and target language.

    Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4:
  • Explain legal terminology and concepts.
  • Outline the legal system concerning the following constituent parts of the court process: criminal and civil court procedure, evidence, jurisdiction, evidence, elements of a crime, etcetera.

    Integrated Assessment:
    Formative assessments may include:
  • Interpreting assessments,
  • Supervised role-play exercises,
  • Written or online tests and assignments,
  • Peer assessment exercises,
  • Self-assessment exercises,
  • Reflective exercises,
  • Group assignments,
  • Case studies, oral presentations,
  • Small scale reports.
  • One oral/interpreting assessment and
  • One final reflective portfolio or an elaborate essay on a selected topic or one final exam to assess learners summatively. 
    		•

    INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY 
    The institution compared the qualification with international qualifications from Boston University and RMIT University for similarity. The reason for interpreting qualifications from these two countries is due to similar multilingual policies to that of South Africa.

    RMIT University's (Australia) Diploma of Interpreting:
    The Diploma of Interpreting offered by RMIT University is more or less similar in scope with this institution's qualification. RMIT University offers a wide range of modules, for example:
  • Prepare to translate and interpret,
  • Build glossaries for translating and interpreting assignments,
  • Use routine legal terminology in interpreting,
  • Demonstrate routine English proficiency in different subjects and cultural contexts) which is similar in content to those modules offered by this institution.

    The duration of the Certificate qualification offered by RMIT is, however, shorter than this institution's qualification. 
    		•

    ARTICULATION OPTIONS 
    This qualification offers both possibilities of horizontal and vertical articulation.

    Horizontal Articulation:
  • Appropriate Higher Certificate, Level 5.

    Vertical Articulation:
  • Diploma in Translation and Interpreting Practice, Level 6.
  • Diploma in Court Interpreting, Level 6. 
    		•

    MODERATION OPTIONS 
    N/A 

    CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS 
    N/A 

    NOTES 
    N/A 

    LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION: 
     
    NONE 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. Sol Plaatje University 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.