Workshops and Testing

We are actively recruiting in the following languages: BENGALI, CZECHOSLOVAKIAN, DARI, FARSI, GERMAN, GREEK, GUJARATI, HAKKA-CHIN, HINDI, HUNGARIAN, IGBO, INDONESIAN, KINYARWANDA, LATVIAN, LITHUANIAN, PASHTU, SINHALESE, TELUGU, TIBETAN, TURKISH, VIETNAMESE, and YORUBA.

Please apply even if your language is not listed above. If you have questions about the program or your qualifications, please call (410) 260-3569.

Steps to Become Listed on the Court Interpreter Registry as a court interpreter:

  1. You must attend a 1-Day Introductory Workshop for Court Interpreter Candidates. 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.
  2. Residents of adjoining states may apply for this workshop only if they plan to interpret in the Maryland courts and live within 30 miles of the nearest courthouse in Maryland. Maryland residents are given priority.
  3. Your next step is to take the Court Interpreter Written Exam. The written examination is in English and administered twice a year. Additional information about the written exam will be provided at the Introductory workshop. The written examination 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.
  4. You will be invited to take the Language Proficiency Interview (LPI) in English and foreign languages only if you passed the written exam. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.