The requirements for court and for legal interpreters are not the same. Court interpreters must complete a legal interpreter training program, have a college degree and pass a court interpreter certification exam. There are different exams that meet the state or national requirement. State Court Interpreters in Massachusetts must pass the exam provided by the Office of Court Interpreter Services (OCIS). The requirements to work in a State Court vary by state. To work as a court interpreter requires supplementary certification exams after the successful completion of a legal interpreter training program. Currently, courts in the United States have three categories to classify interpreters:
Language skilled interpreters: A legal interpreter certification can lead to many job opportunities in the legal field, although the interpreter’s training is not recognized as professionally qualified and he or she cannot apply for court interpreter jobs. If he or she can satisfy the needs of the court, the interpreter may be hired as a language skilled interpreter or as an ad hoc. At this level, a legal interpreter is hired to conduct interpretation for interviews, depositions, witness preparation sessions and meetings between attorney and client. The minimum requirements for legal interpreter training are 45 hours from an acceptable vendor. After this training, the person is qualified to work in depositions and must take the State Court Exam.
Certified Interpreters: At present, the United States Courts only provide a Spanish-English Court Interpreter Certification exam known as the FCICE (Federal Court Interpreting Exam). The exam consists of two parts- written and oral. Once the interpreter has passed the written part, he or she may take the oral portion of the test, which will evaluate the ability of the interpreter to perform simultaneous and consecutive interpretation, as well as sight translation. This portion of the exam is given every two years.
Professionally Qualified: The local and federal court will consider those who present significant authentication and documentation for language combinations such as Mandarin, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese, among others. Additionally, these individuals must have passed one of the following examinations with English and their target language:
- Must presently be an active member of the AIIC (International Association of Conference Interpreters)
- Must pass an interpreter test in English for a language given by the United Nations
- Must pass a test for seminar or conference interpreters in a language pair that includes English and their target language
In order to apply for most legal interpreter training program, a college degree is not required. On the other hand, if the goal is to work as a court interpreter, a degree in translation studies, legal studies or foreign languages is necessary. Later, passing a certification exam (Federal, State or NAJIT certified) are basic requirements in order to work in any Federal or State Courts.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com