At present, there is a tremendous demand for court interpreters in the United States, particularly in the major urban centers. Although there are relatively few full-time staff positions for interpreters, there are many opportunities for court interpreters to work as independent contractors. Staff positions, when they are available, generally pay from $20,000 to $50,000 per year, depending on the jurisdiction. Freelance (independent contractor) court interpreters who are fully certified can earn $30,000 to $60,000 per year once they become established.
In many states, including California, Washington, New Jersey, Minnesota, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, and Virginia, interpreters must pass a difficult examination to become certified to work in criminal court cases. There are opportunities to work without certification, but the best way to assure oneself of the full range of job opportunities is to become certified.
ACEBO's self-study materials are designed to prepare candidates for the various court interpreter certification exams, but there is no guarantee that candidates will pass the first time they take the exam. A very high percentage of individuals who have used our materials have gone on to become fully certified interpreters. If you have very strong language skills and a high motivation to study, you should be able to pass your exams after going through all the lessons thoroughly.
Try to read as much and as widely as possible in both English and your other language. Newspaper and magazine articles about crimes, court cases, and the criminal justice system are recommended. If your non-English language is Spanish, it is wise to obtain Spanish periodicals directly from Spanish-speaking countries rather than reading the ones published in the United States--the style of US-published Spanish-language periodicals is often heavily influenced by English. This is likely to be true of US-published periodicals in other languages as well. Foreign periodicals are generally available at international bookstores in major cities of the US. You should also take every opportunity to speak both English and your other language in a wide variety of settings.
For information about certification exams, call the following numbers:
California court interpreter certification exam: (415) 904-5853
California administrative hearing and medical interpreter certification exams: (916) 263-3616
State exams in states other than California: (800) 877-1233 (National Center for State Courts)
Federal interpreter certification exam: (520) 621-3686
The home-page URL of the judicial branch of the California State government is http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov.
The URL of the California Court Interpreter Advisory Panel is http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/judicialcouncil/advisorycommittees.htm.
For a description of what court interpreters do and how they're certified in California, visit http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/aoc/courtinterpreters.
If you have questions that are not answered by any of these sources, you can address them to Holly Mikkelson at
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