Tips for medical interpreters looking to get into court interpreting

Several months ago, I received a message from a French interpreter wanting to know how to expand their services from healthcare to legal. What follows is the substance of our conversation, edited for brevity and clarity.

Q: I'm a healthcare interpreter, but I have always wanted to get involved with court/legal interpreting. I was looking over the sample written exam requirements, and they don't seem too difficult.  Do you think it's worth trying to take a preparation course?

A: That depends. At the state level, the written exam is mainly designed to test English-language proficiency, keeping in mind that the typical interpreter doesn’t have English as a mother tongue. I would not expect it to be a problem for those who grew up in the U.S., have a reasonable familiarity with the U.S. legal system, and are already trained in the ethics of medical interpreting. In contrast, the written portion of the federal court interpreter exam tests both English and Spanish.

Q: How challenging did you find the oral exam to be?

A: The level of challenge will vary from person to person. Objectively, the state exam pass rates vary by state and by language but typically hover between 10% and 20%, so don’t underestimate the difficulty. I would recommend a prep course or study group for the oral portion. See below for links to exam prep courses that I recommend.

Q: Would I be better off jumping to the federal exam, or doing my state first?

A: The federal court interpreter exam is more difficult that the state exam. It is currently only offered in Spanish, so you must take your state exam to be certified in French. Once you pass, you can apply for work in the federal courts but with the Professionally Qualified designation rather than Certified.

Note about the Federal Court Certification Exam: Historically, the aggregate pass rate for the federal exam is typically 5-8%. “Aggregate” means having passed BOTH the written AND oral parts of the exam. A 20%-25% pass rate for EACH component is typical. For example, if 100 people take the written exam and 20% percent pass, you have 20 candidates left for the oral exam. If 25% of them pass the oral exam, you’re left with 5 newly minted FCCIs, 5% of the original cohort.

Q: How often are you called to interpret, on average?

A: Between federal and state courts and private clients, I work 3 or 4 days a week, usually just a few hours per day. In the federal courts, interpreters are paid by half-day or full-day. So billable time can be quite different than actual time spent on the job.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for courses for oral practice?

A: Here are links to several exam prep training providers. All of these have historically had high pass rates among their students. Cost and format vary between programs, so you’ll want to shop around to find one that’s right for you:

https://interpretrain.com/pages/state-oral-exam-training-programs

https://delamorainstitute.com/legal-courses/

https://www.interpreting.com/front_end/our_courses.html

https://www.transinterpreting.com/exam-preparation

https://nci.arizona.edu/interpreter-training/self-study-products

https://nci.arizona.edu/interpreter-training/court-interpreter-training-institute-citi

Q: Am I better off making or asking to form a practice group through the Interpreters Division of the ATA?

A: I am an active ATA member and member of the Interpreters Division. It is an excellent place to start if you are interested in forming a peer study group. One caveat: Peer study groups are good if you're self-disciplined and have a good idea of what level and with what material you need to practice. Otherwise, it's generally better to go with instructor-led training/private tutoring, especially in preparation for a performance exam.

Additional Resources:

https://www.ncsc.org/education-and-careers/state-interpreter-certification