Webinar Description

Court Interpreters are called upon more often to interpret for pleas than any other legal proceeding. While not every plea will be the same, there is a basic structure to presenting a plea agreement for the record. This webinar will help you better understand how the process of plea agreements develop and what may be required of you. We will cover each step of the proceedings, the types of documents used, and the modes of interpretation appropriate for each stage.

 

After this webinar you will be able to:

  • Describe the process of resolving a criminal case through a plea agreement

  • Identify the actors and the different stages of a proceeding

  • Determine which mode of interpretation is required during each state (in-person)

  • Apply your knowledge and adjust your method of operation to online/virtual pleas and identify and work with basic templates and documents used during this type of proceeding

Continuing Education

Continuing education credits are approved for the following states: 

1.5 CEUs: NC, NM, MO, OR, TN, UT, PA, TX (other states pending)

Students can individually apply for CEUs in the following states by submitting all necessary information: DE, IA, KY, MD, MI, MS, NE


Don't see your state? Contact us!

(407) 677-4155 | email: [email protected]

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Webinar

    • Welcome!

    • Anatomy of a Plea: Structure and Process
  • 2

    Certificate of Completion

    • Instructions

    • Quiz

    • Webinar Feedback Survey

MA, CCI FL/GA, CHI™, GA Registered Mediator

Maria Ceballos-Wallis

Maria Ceballos-Wallis is a Georgia/Florida Certified Spanish-English Interpreter on staff with the DeKalb County State Court, in Decatur, GA. She has worked in multilingual communications since 1990. Her passion has always been eliminating barriers to effective communication through the mastery of language and the media. In addition to being an accomplished television/documentary producer, in 2002, Maria received a certificate in translation studies from Florida International University and was certified as Spanish><English translator by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI.com.au) in Australia. She is also a Georgia-registered civil and domestic mediator (GODR.org). Maria holds an M.A. in international studies from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, FL and a B.A. in communication arts with a minor in French from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. She has also taught English as a second language at Miami Dade Community College, lectured on mass communications as an adjunct at Florida International University (Spanish/English), taught online classes with De La Mora Institute of Interpretation since 2014 and presented at NAJIT, AAIT and Emory Healthcare Interpreter Conferences. Maria occupied various key positions on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators (AAIT.org) from 2011 – 2016. In 2017 Maria was appointed to represent interpreters on the Board of the Georgia Commission on Interpreters.  She joined the team of instructors for the Georgia Commission on Interpreters Orientation Program in 2019.  In 2020, she co-developed the course Foundations for Interpreters in Conflict Resolution and ADR with Barrie J. Roberts, J.D. and Marjory Bancroft (Cross-Cultural Communications), the first online training of its kind for interpreters in all domains. An active advocate of the interpreting profession, Maria has served in key roles in AAIT, NAJIT, the Georgia Commission on Interpreters and Georgia Judicial COVID-19 Task Force.