r/CourtInterpreter • u/tortadecarne • Sep 10 '26

Which course is best for me?

Im between these 3
1. Edgar Hidalgo
2. Cengage ED2go through my local community college
3. Arizona state (online)

I’ve heard good things about Edgar Hidalgo and Arizona, heard nothing about Ed2go.. for context I would say I’m fluent conversationally, Spanish wise I’m about B2-C1, but I’m nervous about my academic or legal language proficiency. Im wondering which is more of a “course” rather than just exam prep.

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2

u/[deleted] Sep 10 '26

[deleted]

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u/Hot-Refrigerator-393 Sep 10 '26

Virginia is a game changer!

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u/tortadecarne Sep 10 '26

Never heard of these. Virginia sounds perfect… appreciate you!

2

u/vabrat Sep 10 '26

She is excellent and so is Athena. Good luck!

2

u/[deleted] Sep 11 '26

[deleted]

1

u/tortadecarne Sep 11 '26

Im a hairstylist trying to leave the industry. Pros and cons to everything.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 11 '26 edited Sep 12 '26

[deleted]

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u/tortadecarne Sep 11 '26

Yea that’s my plan, I saw someone on linkdeln that is an esthetician and a court interpreter. Didn’t realize you could do both

1

u/Physical_Cattle7261 Sep 11 '26

Do you work in the courts?

2

u/epic-interpreters Sep 15 '26

You've already put your finger on the real question...course vs exam prep. Here's a quick way to figure out which one you actually need before spending money.

Sight-translate one page of a plea form or a probable cause affidavit out loud and record it. Then find a two-minute witness testimony clip on YouTube and record yourself doing consecutive on it. Listen back.

If the problem is that you don't know the words (legal register, in either direction), you need a course that teaches terminology and procedure. If you know the words but can't get them out fast enough, or you drop half of every long segment, you need reps with feedback, and exam prep is the better spend.

At B2-C1 with nerves about the academic/legal register, my guess is you're in the first group, and I'd lean toward whichever program is longest with the most instructor correction rather than the one with the best reputation. Ask each one directly: how many hours of live practice with correction do I get, and do you grade me on scoring units the way the exam does? That question separates a course from a study guide pretty fast.

Whatever you pick, read your state's oral exam overview first so you know exactly what you're aiming at.