Upcoming Events: Interpreter Training Webinars
Interpreter Training, Workshops and Master Classes
Upcoming Events: Interpreter Training Webinars
Interpreter Training, Workshops and Master Classes
In 2023, our pass rate was 50% for the FCICE oral exam, compared with the 23%
national average. In 2025 our students once again DOUBLED the national average pass rate. We offer you guidance and feedback, and teach you how to
manage your own progress during multiple weeks of intensive interpreting study.
For court interpreters of all
languages looking to improve
their oral interpreting skills and/or work toward
state certification.
For advanced Spanish
interpreters to improve their oral interpreting
skills and/or work toward federal certification.
Our students don’t just pass their exam. They learn study and stress management skills for life.
Learn the basic building blocks of
interpreting from skilled instructors.
Increase your speed, accuracy and sight translating skills while staying on task with our accountability allies.
Juliana M.C.
Why study alone when you can learn from and be supported by our
qualified instructors and your peers? With study tips, challenging mock
exams, live audience interpreting and our other tools, you’ll do better on your
oral interpreting exam.
While there are some scheduling differences between the All Levels & Languages Master Class and the Advanced Spanish Master Class, this is a good overview of a standard class week. It is expected that you will spend your weekends devoted to class assignments as well.
8pm-10pm EST:
Live
Instructor-led
classes
Solo study
8pm-10pm EST:
Live
Instructor-led
classes (optional for All Levels & Languages)
Pod work (timing TBD with your study group)
Friday: Solo study
Saturday: REST!
Sunday: Extra nerd opportunities
Weekly Planner & Curated Curriculum
Your tuition for the Court Interpreting Master Class includes instructor time and a curated, detailed lesson plan.
Lesson plans are updated on a weekly basis in order to maximize pedagogical relevance to our individual students.
Focus is on interpreting skills in all three modes of interpreting. We may offer tips and tricks for the written exam, but that is not the main focus.
The state oral and FCICE exams are ultimately a test not of vocabulary or particular topics, but of skill. To that end, your course has been created to be a skills-building journey, with particular emphasis on technique, vocabulary, and holistic mindset.
Not every exercise will resemble the test, but that is purposeful–many students fail because they do not realize that studying for the exam is like studying for a marathon.
You need warm-ups, cardio, strength-training…the works. That said, familiarity with the exam format is important, and there will be exercises that closely resemble the test itself in order for you to experience it firsthand.
You will also gain access to a Class Google Share Drive. You may benefit from materials created by previous classes, and leave your legacy for future generations.
Once you complete the course, you will still have a plethora of study materials at your disposal in order to apply what you have learned through continued individual and group studies. By then you’ll have the toolbox. It’ll be up to you to use the tools!
If you do not comply with the code of conduct, Athena Sky Interpreting reserves the right to relinquish your seat in the program without a refund.
Athena holds a BA in Spanish interpreting and translation from Rutgers University and a Master’s in Conference Interpreting from Glendon College, York University. In the past decade, she has worked as a freelance interpreter and staff interpreter for the NJ judiciary.
She owns Athena Sky Interpreting and trains candidates for the state and federal interpreting exams. She created these Master Classes with Virginia in order to give people the accountability and guidance she wishes she could have had when studying for her exams. When she is not teaching and interpreting, you may find her practicing Acroyoga or aerial arts.
Virginia is our behind-the-scenes mastermind. She co-developed the original Master Classes with Athena. You may occasionally see her for a guest visit, and you will see her magical slides and pedagogical concepts everywhere you look!
Virginia became an interpreter in 2003 and has worked in the fields of legal, medical, and conference interpretation. She holds a Combined Certificate in Translation and Interpretation Studies (Hunter College, 2004). In 2012, Virginia and her husband, Brad Wilk, founded Interpretrain. She currently lives in Colombia, where she teaches, develops new materials, and works as an interpreter.
Gonzalo is a former private coaching student of Athena’s who rejoins us now to offer extra feedback to our advanced students. He has been interpreting since 2013, working in both the private and public sectors. Highlights have included interpreting for Chile’s Minister of Economy, Ecuador’s Attorney General, the Real Madrid, New York Bulls, and national teams of Costa Rica and Honduras. He has been tutoring FCICE candidates since 2021. He is a big fan of dogs (especially his own, Bobo) as well as soccer, current events and US foreign policy (particularly in the Middle East.)
Lili is an alumnus of the our first ever Master Class for all languages. She is an English⇄Japanese interpreter and translator, academic editor, and intercultural communication coach residing in the DC metro area. In addition to serving as a per diem court interpreter in multiple jurisdictions, she offers instruction in Japanese language, business etiquette, and translation and interpretation (T&I) to federal employees and military personnel.
Gabriela Muñoz Ravello is a Federally Certified Court Interpreter, conference interpreter, and ATA certified translator based in Washington DC. She holds a Juris Doctor from The George Washington University Law School and is licensed to practice in New York. A disillusioned attorney looking for a career change, she started her interpretation & translation journey as a court interpreter in Alabama, where she grew up. After a few years of working in court, she decided to pursue a Masters in Conference Interpretation—English, Spanish, French—, which she obtained from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies before moving back to the nation’s capital. When she isn’t interpreting, you can find her working on her baking skills or traveling to Peru to spend time with her family and eat the best cuisine in the world.
For court interpreters of all
languages looking to improve
their oral interpreting skills and/or work toward
state certification.
For advanced Spanish
interpreters to improve their oral interpreting
skills and/or work toward federal certification.