Bilingual Communications

Scholarship Eligibility

Provided funds are available, any judge or court staff member of the New Mexico judiciary who has been accepted into the Justice System Language Access Specialist Certificate Program is eligible to apply for a scholarship.

Apply for a Scholarship

1. Apply for admission into the Justice System Bilingual Communication Program. Scholarship applications will not be accepted until you are admitted into the program.
2. Fill out and submit the scholarship application according to jurisdiction.
   • Magistrate, metro, district, and appellate court employees please apply for the scholarship at the NMCLA State Court Employee Scholarship Page.
   • Municipal court employees please apply for the scholarship at the NMCLA Municipal Court Employee Scholarship Page.
3. All applicants will be notified by scholarship committee upon decision.  Scholarship awards will be directly paid to UNM Los Alamos for tuition and registration fees.  Awardees will not receive awards directly.

Award Amounts

Scholarship recipients will receive between $500 and $1,000 towards tuition and fees.  Scholarship amounts will vary depending on the number of applicants.

Program Description

The Justice System Bilingual Communication Program, offered through the New Mexico Center for Language Access (NMCLA), is an ideal program for bilingual court employees who would like to hone their interpreting skills when communicating with those who have limited english language proficiency.

Curriculum

• Development of interpreting skills (consecutive and simultaneous interpreting, and sight translation)
• English legal terminology
• Language-specific legal terms and expressions
• Translation of common forms and waivers
• Ethics & role of the bilingual communicator throughout the justice system
• Cultural competency
• Preparation to work as bilingual communicators in a variety of settings

Questions?

Please contact NMCLA directly.