Information for Contract Interpreters
Interpreter Qualifications
Certified Interpreters
Certified interpreters have passed the Administrative Office certification examination. To date, certification programs have been developed for Spanish, Navajo and Haitian Creole. In these languages, the courts will select interpreters who have met the Administrative Office’s criteria for certification if the judge determines that certified interpreters are reasonably available.
The Administrative Office’s Spanish-English Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination(link is external) is administered in two phases. Candidates must pass the written exam in order to qualify to take an oral examination. The oral examination measures a candidate’s ability to accurately perform simultaneous as well as consecutive interpretation and sight translations as encountered in the federal courts. The certification programs for Navajo and Haitian Creole are no longer offered.
For other languages, individuals may contact local federal courts to determine if that court has a need for the language of expertise. The local federal court will determine on a case-by-case basis whether the prospective interpreter is either professionally qualified or language skilled. In languages other than Spanish, Navajo and Haitian-Creole, interpreters are designated as:
- professionally qualified and
- language skilled.
Professionally Qualified (PQ) Interpreters
Interpreters in languages for which the AO does not administer a federal certification examination currently are eligible to be categorized as Professionally Qualified upon submitting sufficient documentation and authentication that they meet one of the following criteria:
- Passed the U.S. Department of State conference or seminar interpreter test in a language pair that includes English and the target language. The U.S. Department of State’s escort interpreter test is not accepted as qualifying.
- Passed the interpreter test of the United Nations in a language pair that includes English and the target language.
- Passed the full version of an oral certification, criterion-referenced performance examination developed by the National Center for State Courts.
- Is a current member in good standing of:
- the Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence (AIIC)(link is external); or
- The American Association of Language Specialists (TAALS)(link is external).
The language pair of the membership qualification must be English and the target language.
- For sign language interpreters, someone who holds the Specialist Certificate: Legal (SC:L) of the
Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID)(link is external).
Language-Skilled Ad Hoc Interpreters
An Interpreter who does not qualify as a professionally qualified interpreter, but who can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the court the ability to interpret court proceedings from English to a designated language and from that language into English, will be classified as a language skilled/ad hoc interpreter. Certified and professionally qualified interpreters are paid at a higher rate than language skilled/ad hoc 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 |
Liz Noteware | Liz_Noteware@cand.uscourts.gov | 415-522-2057 |
San Jose | ||
James Ferrell | James_Ferrell@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 |