Continuing professional education programme (CPD) of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Slovenia (DPTS)

The article describes the CPD programme of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Slovenia (Društvo prevajalcev in tolmačev Slovenije – DPTS), which for more than 10 years has systematically ena­bled translators and interpreters to maintain and improve the quality of their work. The programme pays special attention to certified court interpreters, who are obliged to undertake CPD in accordance with the Slovenian legislation. The regulation of certified court interpreters and the register maintained by the Ministry of Justice are also presented.

The CPD programme of DPTS has three modules: general seminars for various fields (law, economics, finance, insurance, forensics, etc.), language seminars, and the third module, which includes seminars on interpreting techniques, ethics and deontology, cooperation with users of translation and interpreting ser­vices, etc. One section of the article outlines the interpreting modules, for which the participants first learn in the classroom and then practice in an interpreting laboratory.

In an era of rapid technological advances and the development of AI, it is essential that translators and interpreters, and in particular certified court interpreters, are properly qualified. They also need to have knowledge of what the new technologies can offer. A certified court interpreter must decide what tools to use in their work and must guarantee the quality of their work, as the responsibility for the translation or interpretation rests on their shoulders. It is important that the translation and interpretation is accurate, which cannot be guaranteed by the use of technology alone.