Interpreter and Translator Services Unit (ITS)
Judicial Branch Job Openings

Interpreter and Translator Services is a unit of the Superior Court Operations Division. Its function is to provide, at no cost, certified and highly qualified interpreting and translation services to persons with limited English proficiency in all court and court-related matters to ensure meaningful access to the courts. This access is extended to LEP parties and other LEP individuals whose presence or participation is appropriate to the justice process.

 

 

 

The Connecticut Judicial Branch Interpreter and Translator Services Unit is particularly interested in persons with strong language skills in English together with any of the following languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Albanian, Chinese Cantonese, Korean, Haitian Creole, Chinese 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 Unit 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
• How to qualify to become a Court-Appointed Interpreter
• How to become a Certified Court Interpreter
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Resources
• Contact Us

Role and Qualification of Court Interpreters within the Connecticut Judicial Branch
Court interpreters serve the Judicial Branch 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 Judicial Branch, including a commitment to ongoing 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) Council of Language Access Coordinators (CLAC) in 2001. This Program dedicates itself to fairness, integrity, service and collaboration while 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.

Top

How to Qualify to become a Court-Appointed Interpreter
The Connecticut Judicial Branch Interpreter and Translator Services Unit is particularly interested in persons with strong language skills in English together with any of the following languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Albanian, Chinese Cantonese, Korean, Haitian Creole, Chinese 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 Unit 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 a court-appointed interpreter directly for the Connecticut Judicial Branch in any language(s), a candidate must:

1. Have a superior command of English and another language(s), and demonstrate this fluency on the exams described below.
2. Have access to a car and be willing to travel within Connecticut as needed to provide interpreting services, according to court needs
3. Send the following four prerequisite items to Interpreter.Employment@jud.ct.gov:
   1. Resume
   2. 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
   3. Registration Form JD-ES-326 (see also “Resources for New Candidates”)

   Upcoming Written Exam Dates	Final Date to Register
   October 20, 2023	October 6, 2023
   January 26, 2024	January 12, 2024
   April 26, 2024	April 12, 2024
   July 26, 2024	July 12, 2024
   October 25, 2024	October 11, 2024

4. Register for and pass a Written Examination in English.
   For preparatory information, see “Resources for New Candidates”. A candidate must provide all three prerequisite items listed 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 and tests general and court-related vocabulary. Candidates will be notified of their results within 4 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 application process.
5.  After passing the Written Examination, candidates will be eligible to take an Oral Screening/Qualifying Examination from English into another language and will be notified of their oral screening examination results within 3 weeks. This is an internal oral examination that is not provided by the NCSC.
6. Pass a criminal background check.
7. Fill out employment paperwork.
8. Attend and successfully complete:
   1. 1-day In-house Interpreter Orientation Program in Hartford, CT
   2. Mentoring Program (available for eligible candidates; usually lasts 4-6 weeks; may be abbreviated for certified or experienced candidates)
9. Take and pass the Ethics component of the written examination provided by the NCSC and agree to adhere to The Code of Professional Responsibility for Court Interpreters of the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch.
10. Be sworn in by a Superior Court Judge.

Top

How to Become a Certified Court Interpreter
To become a certified court interpreter for the Connecticut Judicial Branch, 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 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 Oral Examination provided by the NCSC typically consists of four sections:

1. Sight translation of an English document into the other language.
2. Sight translation of a document in the other language into English.
3. Consecutive interpretation, English into other language, and other language into English.
4. 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) Council of Language Access Coordinators (CLAC) will be awarded reciprocity and his or her test results will be applied toward full certification by the Connecticut Judicial Branch if the Interpreter and Translator Services Unit 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.

Top

 

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, Self Assessment Tools Qualifications
   
   
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).
   
   

   If you fail this ...	then:
   The 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 Ethics Examination	You may re-take it after you have studied Ethics resources, after three months or more have passed.
   The 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?




Hourly Positions	As of July 2022, pay begins at $18.44/hour, with a four-hour minimum per-day. 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 July 1, 2022, in accordance with collective-bargaining agreements, pay begins at: $27.42/hour, plus benefits, for not-yet-certified interpreters $30.23/hour, plus benefits, for certified interpreters Some mileage is paid. Medical benefits are available within two months of start date.

Top

Resources

Resources for New Candidates for Written Examination

• Registration Form JD-ES-326
• Court Interpreter Resources
• Written Examination Overview for Candidates
• Self-Assessment Study and Tools
• Translation Component PD
• Legal Glossaries and Dictionaries
• CT Judicial Branch Glossary of Legal Terminology: Most Frequently Used Terms PDF
• IN THE LOOP, A Reference Guide to American English Idioms

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

• Written Examination Overview for Candidates
• Court Interpreter Oral Examination Overview
• Practice Exam Kits - (Please scroll all the way down)

General List of Interpreting Resources

• The National Association of Judicial Interpreters and Translators
• National Center for State Courts, Court Interpretation
• American Translator’s Association
• Administrative Office of the United States Courts

 

Contact Us - For more information regarding interpreting for the Connecticut Judicial Branch, please send your questions to :

E-mail: Interpreter.Employment@jud.ct.gov (Preferred)

Mail: Connecticut Judicial Branch, Interpreter & Translator Services Unit
         90 Washington Street, Hartford, CT 06106
         Attention: Interpreter Employment
         AA/EEO

Fax:  (860) 706-5088
         Attention: Interpreter Employment

Top