How to Become a U.S. Federal Court Interpreter: All You Need to Know

If you want to make money as a freelance interpreter, there are a couple of paths you can take. You can become a corporate interpreter. You can become a state interpreter. For example, here’s how you can become an interpreter in the state of Texas. You can work for the United Nations. Or you can become a U.S. federal court interpreter.

Before you do, though, remember. Becoming a federal interpreter is not an easy process.

If you thought it was hard to become an interpreter for your state’s court system (such as becoming a court interpreter in Texas), the federal court system process can be even harder.

But it is doable.

And it can be rewarding (and not just from an interpreter’s salary point of view).

More so than other interpreting gigs.

Here’s what you need to know.

Federal Court Interpreter Certification Process

The first thing to know is that the process is run by the U.S. Court System Administrative Office, which administers the exam and qualifies interpreters.

The way that the office qualifies interpreters is by dividing them into three categories.

1. Certified Interpreters
2. Professionally Qualified Interpreters
3. Language Skilled or Ad Hoc Interpreters

Knowing the difference between these categories is important because each type has different qualifications.

Additionally, these different categories determine how much money you’ll be paid for your work as a federal court interpreter.

Certified Interpreters

The “certified interpreter” category is only available for Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Navajo.

This isn’t entirely true, though, because the U.S. Court System Administrative Office only offers the qualifying test in Spanish.

So if you don’t interpret Spanish, then you’re out of luck getting the certified interpreter designation.

If you do speak Spanish, though, you have to take and pass the  Spanish-English Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination.

I won’t go into detail about the test except to say that you first have to pass a written test before you can take the oral part.

Another important thing to know is that becoming certified is not a quick process.

Each part of the exam is traditionally only offered every other year.

That means if you take and pass the written test this year, you won’t be taking the oral part until the following year.

Professionally Qualified Interpreters

OK, so if you’re not a Spanish, Haitian Creole, or Navajo interpreter, you’ll have to settle for the designation as a professionally qualified interpreter.

What does that mean?

It means that instead of taking a designated U.S. Court System exam, you’ll have to prove your interpretation awesomeness in other ways.

If you’re a sign language interpreter, you’ll have to prove that you have a Specialist Certificate: Legal (SC:L) from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

If you’re an interpreter in a spoken language, you’ve got three options:

• Show that you’ve passed the United Nations interpreter test in English to and from your language.
• Show that you’ve passed a U.S. State Department seminar or conference interpreter test. One of the language pairs has to be English. Note that you can’t count the escort interpreter test.
• Prove that you’re a member of good standing of either of the following two interpretation organizations:
• American Association of Language Specialists
• Association Internationale des Interprètes de Conférence

Language Skilled/Ad Hoc Interpreters

The final category of interpreters that can translate for the U.S. federal court system are those that fit into the language skilled category.

There is no specific exam or certification process for becoming a language skilled interpreter.

Instead, it’s up to each federal court to determine this category.

The way this is determined is an arbitrary process, and is defined as follows:

an interpreter 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

Pretty vague, right?

Most of the more well-known and used languages used by the federal court system rely on certified or professionally qualified interpreters.

However, if you can interpret in a less-commonly taught language, and don’t have any of the requirements outlined for professionally qualified interpreters, you could find some work as a language skilled interpreter.

Getting Paid as a Freelance Federal Court Interpreter

All right, so if you fit into one of these categories, let’s look at the important thing: what you’ll earn. 

This is straight from the U.S. Court interpreter website:

Federally Certified and Professionally Qualified Interpreters

Full-Day: $418

Half-Day: $226

Overtime: $59 per hour or part thereof

Language Skilled (Non-Federally Certified) Interpreters

Full-Day: $202

Half-Day: $111

Overtime: $35 per hour or part thereof

Benefits to Become a U.S. Federal Court Interpreter

There are a few benefits to working as a U.S. federal court interpreter that you should know about.

You can request to work from home.

While most interpreting is done in person, if you live close to a courthouse but not too close, you may be able to telecommute for some of your assignments. This can be a great perk if you have young children at home or another job that you can’t leave for long periods.

You can choose your assignments.

When you first start, you may not have a lot of choice in the assignments you take. However, as you gain more experience, and prove your interpreting chops to the court system, you’ll have more assignments to choose from.

This can be great if you want a little more variety in your work, or if you have scheduling constraints that require a bit more flexibility.

You can set your own schedule.

One of the great things about working as a freelance interpreter is that you can often set your own schedule.

Of course, you’ll have to be available when the court needs you, but if you’re looking for a little more control over your time, this can be a great gig.

You can work as much or as little as you want.

This is related to setting your own schedule, but it’s worth mentioning separately.

If you only want to work a few days a week, or even a few days a month, you can do that as a freelance interpreter.

Of course, the more you work, the more money you’ll make, but it’s nice to know that you have the option to pick up a few extra shifts here and there if you need the money.

Disadvantages of Being a U.S. Federal Court Interpreter

Now that we’ve looked at some of the advantages of working as a federal court interpreter, let’s take a look at some of the disadvantages.

You may have to travel.

While you may be able to do some interpreting over the phone or via video conferencing, for many assignments, you’ll have to travel to the court location. This can be a pain if you live far from where the courts are located, or if you have young children at home.

You may have to work on short notice.

While you may be able to set your own schedule to some extent, you’ll still have to be available when the court needs you. This means that you may have to work on short notice, or for long hours, with little notice.

You may have to deal with difficult people.

Let’s face it: not everyone who ends up in court is going to be a delight to work with. You may have to deal with difficult people regularly, which can be trying, to say the least. This can be one of the hardest parts of the job.

Conclusion

So, there you have it: everything you need to know about working as a U.S. federal court interpreter. If you think this gig is right for you, start taking steps to become a certified or professionally qualified interpreter today. It may not be an easy road, but it can be a rewarding one.

FAQ – Become a U.S. Federal Court Interpreter