Maryland Court Interpreter Program
For Interpreter Coordinators and Invoice Approvers (internal use only)
Workshop and Testing
- State of Maryland Court Interpreter Introductory Workshop Attendance Requirements:
- The applicant must have native-like proficiency in both the target language and English.
- Speakers of French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish languages must have professional legal interpreting experience (depositions, lawfirms, administrative hearings, court hearings in other states, etc). Please do not apply if you don't have legal interpreting experience.
- Speakers of ALL other languages are encouraged to apply. Court interpreters in the following languages are particularly needed: Bengali, Burmese, Fulani, Hindi, Punjabi, Laotian, Sinhalese, Tamil, Thai, Urdu, and Wolof.
- American Sign language interpreters must be certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf in order to be accepted in the workshop and become listed on the Court Interpreter Registry.
Please note that priority is given to Maryland residents and acceptance into the workshop is based on experience, language proficiency and education, not on a first come basis. A telephone interview by a member of the Court Interpreter Program staff may be conducted as part of the application process.
- The applicant must have native-like proficiency in both the target language and English.
- General Information Regarding Court Interpreter Introductory Workshops and Testing (Applies to foreign languages):
- There is a $75 fee for the 1-day Introductory Workshop.
- The purpose of the 1-day Introductory Workshop is to familiarize the candidates with the State of Maryland court system and the interpreter's role in a courtroom setting. (Modes of interpreting and resources available for improving skills are addressed, but actual interpreting skills are not taught.). The workshop is language neutral.
- Residents of adjoining states may apply for workshops only if they plan to interpret in the Maryland courts and live within 30 miles of the nearest courthouse in Maryland. Applications may be accepted only if the class is not filled by Maryland residents.
- The written examination in English is administered twice a year. Additional information about the written exam will be provided at the Introductory workshop. The cost for the exam is included in the workshop orientation fee. The written examination is covers a) comprehension of written English vocabulary and idioms, b) common court-related situations and vocabulary and c) knowledge of ethical behavior and professional conduct.
- The candidate will be invited to take the Language Proficiency Interview (LPI) in English and foreign languages only if the written examination is passed. The LPI measures how well the candidate speaks the target language, not their interpreting ability. It is a one-on-one telephonic conversation with an interviewer conducted in English and the target language. There is a $55 fee for the LPI.
- Once foreign language candidates have passed both the written examination and the LPIs in the English and target languages, they must attend a 2-day Mandatory Court Interpreter Orientation workshop. This training workshop will address the three modes of court interpreting and provide an introduction to the wireless court interpreting equipment, courtroom protocol, invoicing and interpreter ethics. Candidates will enter the Court Interpreter Registry as eligible interpreters only after successfully completing this workshop. There is a $75 fee for the Orientation workshop.
- Oral language-specific certification testing is offered annually, but only to those who have attended the Mandatory Court Interpreter Orientation Workshop and have passed the written examination and LPI. Oral certification examinations are currently offered in Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Cantonese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. Certification exams are administered once a year. Registration forms are mailed to eligible interpreters three months prior to the exams. The exam consists of simultaneous, consecutive, and sight translation components. In order to pass the exam, a candidate must obtain a minimum 70% score on each component. If additional information is needed, please contact the Program Services Unit at (410) 260-1291 or via e-mail at:
Ksenia.Boitsova@mdcourts.gov, Court Interpreter Program Administrator, Program Services
Debra.Kaminski@mdcourts.gov, Assistant Manager, Program Services
Lorena.SevillaSomoza@mdcourts.gov, Court Interpreter Program Specialist, Program Services