Ohio certification program of court interpreters

The Supreme Ohio Court announced last Monday that it will begin certification of court interpreters as of Jan. 1, 2010, with Rules 80 through 87 and Appendix H of the Rules of Superintendence for the Courts of Ohio going into effect on that date.

The Interpreter Services Program is designed to provide assistance to judges and the courts statewide on issues of foreign language interpretation, and was initiated with the Court's joining the National Center for State Courts' Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification in June 2003. The Court then created its Advisory Committee to Study Use of Court Interpreters in April 7, 2005

"State and federal law requires complete and accurate interpretations in legal proceedings," the Court's release said. "These rules ensure that constitutional guarantees are afforded to all linguistic minorities, including deaf and hard of hearing populations. The certification will ensure that interpreters working in the courts meet the minimum standards of language fluency. Applicants will take the written examination developed by the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts, an arm of the National Center for State Courts. Candidates will also take an oral examination, to measure their English and foreign language ability."

New Rules

The Supreme Court also has several publications relating to court interpreters:

• “Report on the Use of Interpreters in Ohio Courts” (2006)
• "Working with Interpreters for Deaf or Hard of Hearing Persons in the Courtroom” (2007)
• "Working with Foreign Language Interpreters in the Courtroom” (2007)