Court Interpreter and Translator Services
Judicial Branch Job Openings
Interpreter and
Translator Services is a unit of the Superior Court Operations Division. It
was established to serve the Judicial Branch in court-related proceedings at
no cost to the parties. One of the goals of the unit is to ensure meaningful
access to the courts by providing qualified interpreting and translation
services to persons with limited English proficiency and to court staff in
all court and court-related proceedings.
The Connecticut Judicial Branch Interpreter and Translator
Services is particularly interested in persons with strong language skills
in English and in any of the following languages: Spanish, Portuguese,
Albanian, Cantonese, Korean, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Russian, and
Vietnamese; but it will continue to offer qualifying examinations to
interpreter candidates for all languages (through steps 4 or 5 below). If
and when the Connecticut Judicial Branch Interpreter and Translator Services
is able to offer employment, it may allow applicants who have successfully
completed the initial qualifying steps to continue through the remaining
steps.
Role and Qualification of Court Interpreters in Connecticut
Court interpreters serve the Connecticut Superior Court by helping to provide due
process for persons with limited English proficiency. Court interpreters
must not only be bilingual and bicultural; they must be educated speakers of
English and another language, and be able to interpret all levels of
discourse in court proceedings. Furthermore, a court interpreter must be
familiar with court procedures and protocols, and maintain the high ethical
standards required by The Code of Professional Responsibility for Court
Interpreters of the State of Connecticut, including a commitment to lifelong
learning. Certified court interpreters are highly skilled professionals who
are able to perform at a very high level in the three modes of interpreting
(simultaneous interpretation, consecutive interpretation, and sight
translation).
The State of Connecticut Judicial Branch joined the
National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Consortium for Language Access in
the Courts in 2001. The Consortium Program is comprised of 41 member
states. The Consortium dedicates itself to fairness, integrity, service and
collaboration by inspiring and enabling its members “to promote equal access
to justice in courts and tribunals by eliminating language barriers for
persons with limited English proficiency.” One benefit of membership, among
many, is having access to proficiency examinations for certification
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How to Qualify to become a Court-Appointed Interpreter
The Connecticut Judicial Branch Interpreter and Translator Services is
particularly interested in persons with strong language skills in English
and in any of the following languages: Portuguese, Albanian, Cantonese,
Korean, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Russian, and Vietnamese; but it will
continue to offer qualifying examinations to interpreter candidates for all
languages (through steps 4 or 5 below). If and when the Connecticut Judicial
Branch Interpreter and Translator Services is able to offer employment, it
may allow applicants who have successfully completed qualifying steps 1-5 to
continue through qualifying steps 6-10.
To qualify to work as court-appointed interpreter directly for the Connecticut Judicial Branch in
any language(s), a candidate must:
- Have a superior command of English and another language(s), and demonstrate this fluency on the exams described below.
- Have access to a car and be willing to travel within Connecticut as needed to provide interpreting services, according to court needs.
- Send the following four prerequisite items to Interpreter.Employment@jud.ct.gov:
- Resume
- Cover letter stating the candidate’s desire to participate in the qualifying process in order to work
as an interpreter for the Connecticut Judicial Branch
- Contact information
sheet (see “Resources for New Candidates”) including:
- Date the candidate wishes to take the Written Examination:
Upcoming Written Exam Dates |
Final Date to Register |
January 13, 2017 |
December 30, 2016 |
April 7, 2017 |
March 24, 2017 |
July 13, 2017 |
June 29, 2017 |
October 13, 2017 |
September 29, 2017 |
- Register for and pass a Written Examination in English.
For preparatory information, see “Resources for New
Candidates”. A candidate must provide all four prerequisite items above
before he/she can register for the Written Examination, and must pass the
exam with at least an 80%. (Spanish, Portuguese and Polish language
candidates must also pass a Translation Component from English into Spanish,
Portuguese and/or Polish with at least a 70%.) The Written Examination is
provided by the National Center for State Courts (Consortium), and tests
general and court-related vocabulary. Candidates will be notified of their
results within 3 weeks. Candidates who ask to have their written exam
rescheduled three times, or who twice do not appear on exam dates they have
requested, will be disqualified from the qualifying process. - Pass an Oral Screening/Qualifying Examination from English into another language.
This examination is not provided by the National Center for State Courts
(Consortium). Candidates eligible to take the oral screening will be
automatically contacted within 3 weeks after having passed the Written
Examination, and will be notified of their oral screening examination
results within 3 weeks.
- Pass a criminal background check and be offered employment by the Connecticut Judicial Branch.
- Fill out employment paperwork.
- Attend and successfully complete:
- 2-day In-house CT Judicial Interpreter Orientation Program in Hartford, CT
- Mentoring Program (available for eligible candidates; usually lasts 4-6
weeks; may be abbreviated for certified or experienced candidates) and/or
Two-Day Orientation Program (if and when offered; no Two-Day Orientation
Program is currently scheduled);
- Take and pass a Consortium Ethics Examination and agree to adhere to The Code of Professional Responsibility
for Court Interpreters of the State of Connecticut.
- Be sworn in by a judge.
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How to Become a Certified Court Interpreter
To become a certified court interpreter in Connecticut, a candidate must pass an oral, entry-level
certification examination administered by the Connecticut Judicial Branch or
other accepted entity. The Connecticut Judicial Branch currently administers
oral certification exams provided by the National Center for State Courts
(Consortium) for the following languages: Spanish, Portuguese and Polish.
(The Connecticut Judicial Branch may administer oral certification exams in
other languages in the future, based on its needs and the availability of
eligible candidates in those languages.)
The Consortium Oral Examination typically consists of four sections:
- Sight translation of an English document into the other language
- Sight translation of a document in the other language into English.
- Consecutive interpretation, English into other language, and other language into English.
- Simultaneous interpretation from English into the other language.
To pass the Certification examination, a candidate must have a
minimum total average test score of 70% on each of the four individual test
sections. The exam must be passed in its entirety in one sitting.
Reciprocity / Other Accepted Credentials
Any candidate who provides proof
of Written and Oral Certification test results from any jurisdiction that is
a member of the National
Center for State Courts (NCSC) Consortium for Language Access in the Courts
will be awarded reciprocity and his or her test results will be applied
toward full certification by the Connecticut Judicial Branch if Interpreter
and Translator Services determines that the test results were obtained under
conditions which meet or exceed interpreter testing and certification
practices of the State of Connecticut, Judicial Branch.
Any
interpreter candidate who obtains written and oral certification from the
Administrative Office of the United States Courts
(AOUSC) will be
considered certified by the State of Connecticut, Judicial Branch.
Any
candidate who is awarded reciprocity or recognition of test results from
another jurisdiction is required to follow the steps outlined in
How to Qualify to become a Court-Appointed Interpreter,
with the exception of taking the Written Examination and Oral
Screening/Qualifying Examination, in order to qualify to work as an
interpreter for the State of Connecticut, Judicial Branch.
Positive
certification status with the Judicial Branch is not a guarantee of
employment.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How can I judge whether I am likely to pass exams to become a court interpreter?
Please see the National Center for State Courts’ research report, Court Interpreting
Qualifications PDF
- What happens if I fail an interpreting
examination administered by the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch?
The
answer depends on the type of interpreting examination involved. You may
take each version of an examination a maximum of two times. We urge you to
develop your language skills, legal vocabulary, and interpreting skills
between tests (see Resources section).
If you fail this ... |
then: |
The Consortium Written English
Examination, or the Spanish Translation component of the
Written Examination |
You may re-take it after six
months or more have passed. |
The Oral Screening/Qualifying
Examination from English into another language |
You may re-take it after six
months or more have passed. |
The Consortium Ethics Examination |
You may re-take it after you have studied
Ethics resources, and whenever you feel ready to do so. |
The Consortium Oral Examination |
You may re-take it after 10 months or more have passed. |
- What do the interpreter exams cost?
Currently, the
Written Exam, the Oral Exams, the Mentoring Program, and the
Orientation Programs (when available) are offered by the Connecticut
Judicial Branch to eligible candidates at no cost.
- What does an interpreter working for the Connecticut Judicial Branch earn?
Hourly Positions |
As of September, 2015, pay begins at $17.23/hour,
with a four-hour minimum. Some mileage is paid. Eligibility for group health insurance (medical and dental) is attained after having worked more than 60 days on a half time schedule during 4 bi-weekly periods. If elected within 30 days of hire,
group term life insurance begins after six months of employment. |
Permanent Positions (when available) |
As of June 26, 2015, in accordance with collective-bargaining agreements, pay begins at:
- $24.36/hour, plus benefits, for not-yet-certified interpreters
- $26.85/hour, plus benefits, for certified interpreters
Some mileage is paid. Medical benefits are available within two months of start date. |
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Resources
Resources for New Candidates for Written Examination
Contact Information Sheet -
MS Word
| PDF
Overview of the Consortium Written Examination
CT Judicial Branch Glossary of Legal Terminology: Most Frequently Used Terms PDF
Translation Component PDF
Resources for Spanish-language Candidates
CT Judicial Branch Glossary of Legal Terminology: English to Spanish PDF
Resources Related to Ethics
Code of Professional Responsibility for Court Interpreters of the Connecticut Judicial Branch PDF
Resources for Candidates Seeking Full Certification
Overview of the Consortium Written Exam PDF
Overview of the Oral Certification Exam PDF
General List of Interpreting Resources
The National Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators
National Center for State Courts, Court Interpretation
The Interpreters Division of The American Translator’s Association
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Contact Us - For more
information about interpreting for the Connecticut Judicial Branch, send
your questions to:
E-mail:
Interpreter.Employment@jud.ct.gov
(Preferred)
Mail: Connecticut Judicial Branch, Interpreter & Translator Services
90 Washington Street, Hartford, CT 06106
Attention: Interpreter Employment
Fax: (860) 706-5088
Attention: Interpreter Employment
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