Information for Contract Interpreters
Interpreter Qualifications
Certified Interpreters
Certified Interpreters are interpreters who are certified by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) as having passed the Federal Court Interpreter Certification test. Only three languages are certified by the AO: Spanish, Haitian Creole and Navajo. The court may not hire a Spanish, Navajo or Haitian Creole interpreter who is not AO Certified.
Otherwise-Qualified Interpreters
Otherwise-Qualified Interpreters are interpreters in languages for which the AO has not developed a certification program. Under this category there are two classifications:
Professionally Qualified (PQ) Interpreters
- Have passed the State Department conference or seminar interpreter test in a language pair that includes English and the target language. (Note: the State Department’s escort interpreter test is not accepted as qualifying.)
- Have passed the United Nations interpreter test in a language pair that includes English and the target language.
- Be a current member in good standing of either:
- Association Internationale des Interpretes de Conference (AIIC) OR
- American Association of Language Specialists (TAALS) (Note: the language pair of the membership qualification must be English and the target language).
- Hold a Specialist Certificate: Legal (SC:L) of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).
Language-Skilled Interpreters
California State Registered Interpreters and California State Certified Interpreters technically fall under this category under the 2010 revision of the United States Courts Guide to Judiciary Policy but they are paid at a different rate than language-skilled interpreters.
| Interpreter Type | Full Day | Half Day | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| AO Certified | $566 | $320 | $80/hour |
| PQ & LS California State Certified | $495 | $280 | $70/hour |
| LS & LS California Registered | $350 | $190 | $44/hour |
NOTES:
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United States Courts Policies
The court’s employment of interpreters is subject to the Service Terms and Conditions and the Standards for Performance and Professional Responsibility of the United States Courts. This includes the policies on cancellation and early termination.
Fingerprint Requirements
Effective May 16, 2005, the Judicial Conference of the United States requires all new employees, externs and contractors to undergo fingerprint checks. A fingerprint check is a technical fingerprint search of the criminal history records in the FBI national fingerprint database to determine whether an arrest record exists for a particular individual.
Any contractor who has been hired for an assignment since May 16, 2005 and has not yet been fingerprinted must make immediate arrangements to be fingerprinted by the Human Resources Unit. All other contractors must be fingerprinted within 30 calendar days from the date of their next assignment with the court.
(For each courthouse, please contact in the order listed.)
San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|
| Melinda Basker | Melinda_Basker@cand.uscourts.gov | 415-522-2655 |
| Clarissa Barnes | Clarissa_Barnes@cand.uscourts.gov | 415-522-2179 |
| Devan Campos | Devan_Campos@cand.uscourts.gov | 415-522-2157 |
| Liz Noteware | Liz_Noteware@cand.uscourts.gov | 415-522-2057 |
San Jose | ||
| Kevin Blumberg | Kevin_Blumberg@cand.uscourts.gov | 408-535-5358 |
| Adriana Kratzmann | Adriana_Kratzmann@cand.uscourts.gov | 408-535-5365 |
Oakland | ||
| Odile Hansen | Odile_Hansen@cand.uscourts.gov | 510-637-3544 |
Eureka | ||
| Melinda Basker | Melinda_Basker@cand.uscourts.gov | 415-522-2655 |