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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. |
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The Connecticut Judicial Branch Interpreter and Translator Services currently has no
job openings, but will continue to offer qualifying examinations to interpreter candidates (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.
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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 purposes.
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How to Qualify to become a
Court-Appointed Interpreter
The Connecticut Judicial Branch Interpreter and Translator Services currently has no job openings, but will
continue to offer qualifying examinations to interpreter candidates (through
step 5 below). If and when the Branch 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:
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Upcoming
Written Exam Dates |
Final Date to Register |
| July 18, 2013 |
July 11, 2013 |
| October 24, 2013 |
October 17, 2013 |
- 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-language candidates must also
pass a Translation Component from English into Spanish 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)
1. 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
2. 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).
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If you fail this ... |
then: |
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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. |
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The Oral Screening/Qualifying
Examination from English into another language |
You may re-take it after six
months or more have passed. |
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The Consortium Ethics
Examination |
You may re-take it after you have studied
Ethics resources, and whenever you feel ready to do so. |
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The Consortium Oral Examination |
You may re-take it after 10 months or
more have passed. |
3. 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.
4. What does an interpreter working for the
Connecticut Judicial Branch earn?
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Hourly Positions |
As of July 1, 2008, pay begins at $15.93/hour,
with a four-hour minimum. Some mileage is paid. Medical benefits may be
available after six months, depending on the need for interpreting services in a
given language, and on the hours an interpreter has worked. |
Permanent Positions
(when available) |
As
of June 18, 2010, in accordance with
collective-bargaining agreements, pay begins at:
- $22.29/hour, plus
benefits, for not-yet-certified interpreters
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$24.57/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
Resources for
Spanish-language Candidates
Resources Related to Ethics
Resources for
Candidates Seeking Full Certification
General List of Interpreting
Resources
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Contact Us
For more information about interpreting for the
Connecticut Judicial Branch, send your questions to:
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e-mail |
Interpreter.Employment@jud.ct.gov
(preferred) |
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mail |
Connecticut Judicial Branch, Interpreter & Translator
Services
90 Washington
Street, Hartford, CT
06106
Attention:
Interpreter Employment |
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fax |
(860) 706-5088
Attention:
Interpreter Employment |
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