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.

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.

View United States Courts policy documents and other important information for interpreters, at the United States Courts federal court interpreters information page (www.uscourts.gov).

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.

Invoicing Forms & Information

• Approved Invoice Form (.pdf)
• AO 213 (.pdf)
• Current United States government mileage rate (subject to frequent change) (www.gsa.gov…)

(For each courthouse, please contact in the order listed.)