2010 Oral Examination Schedule

How will the Oral Proficiency Examination be Administered?

Interpreters who fail the simultaneous part may retake the test again at any time. However, it is recommended that they allow themselves at least six to eight months to practice, improve, and develop their skills before attempting to retake the test. If after passing the simultaneous the interpreter fails either the consecutive or the sight portions, they must retake whichever part they failed within one year. Interpreters must pass all three parts of the proficiency exam within one testing cycle which is the equivalent of two years from the date in which they passed the simultaneous. The testing cycle requirement is not triggered until the candidate passes the simultaneous portion.

Interpreters in languages for which there is only an abbreviated exam must also complete the remaining parts within one testing cycle after passing the simultaneous test when there is one for the language they interpret. If no simultaneous exists, they must take whatever parts are available within one testing cycle. The testing cycle requirement is not triggered until the candidate passes at least one part of whichever parts of the proficiency exam are available for them to take.

Languages for which there is a full Oral Proficiency Examination

[Arabic (Modern Standard), Cantonese, French, Haitian-Creole, Hmong, Ilocano, Italian, Korean, Laotian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese]

Interpreters working in languages for which there is a full oral proficiency test must take and pass all three parts of the test in order to become certified. In Pennsylvania the oral exam will be administered in two parts. The simultaneous will be administered first as a screening test. Once candidates pass the simultaneous they may take the consecutive and the sight.

The full oral proficiency exam consists of simultaneous interpretation, consecutive interpretation, and sight translation described below.

Simultaneous interpreting:
In this part of the test, the interpreter listens through headphones to a CD recording of a simulated attorney’s opening or closing argument to a judge or jury, a colloquy between a judge, the attorneys or another party, or a cross-examination of a witness. The interpreter interprets aloud what he or she hears over the headset. This mode of interpreting simulates many situations interpreters encounter in courtrooms while interpreting for defendants during procedural hearings and trials. The statement is approximately 800 to 850 words in length, is recorded at an approximate speed of 120 words per minute, and is about seven minutes long.

Consecutive interpreting:
In this portion of the test, the interpreter interprets English language statements into the foreign language and foreign language responses into English. In consecutive interpreting the interpreter must wait until the speaker finishes the utterance before beginning to deliver the interpretation. This is the appropriate type of interpreting for non-English speaking witnesses, and other question and answer situations involving limited English proficient persons. The segments are pre-recorded on a CD and the candidate may ask to have two of the segments repeated.

Sight translation:
In sight translation the interpreter is asked to interpret a document from English into the foreign language and another from the foreign language into English. Each document is approximately 225 words in length and the examinee is allowed six minutes to interpret each document.

Languages for which there is only an abbreviated Oral Proficiency Examination

[Arabic (Egyptian Colloquial), Bosnian, Croatian, German, Serbian, and Turkish]

For languages where there is only an abbreviated exam, one or more of the segments has not yet been developed. Interpreters will be advised which sections of the test in their respective languages are available for them to take. The candidate must pass the available parts and agree to take the remaining parts when available in order to remain certified.

Oral Examination Fees

The fees for the oral proficiency examination for foreign language interpreters are $100 for the simultaneous portion and $150 for the consecutive and sight portions for state residents and $125 for the simultaneous and $175 for the consecutive and sight portions for out-of-state candidates. 

Languages for which there is no Oral Proficiency Examination

In order to demonstrate linguistic proficiency, interpreters of foreign languages for which there is no full or abbreviated oral performance test must take an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI).

These interviews were developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), for evaluating the language communication skills of speakers of foreign languages and are administered by Language Testing International (LTI). There are over 50 languages available.

In this test the candidate’s foreign language skills are evaluated by expert raters during the course of a telephone based interview session. Candidates travel to a location with secure access to a phone line and after providing a valid picture ID and other verifying information, are placed in a room were the interview is conducted over the telephone. During the interview the rater assesses the language skills and fluency level of the candidate in their language. Candidates must perform at the superior level. Results are reported back to the ICP and the candidate. Interpreters in this category must also agree to take and pass a full or abbreviated oral proficiency exam in their foreign language when available.

When a candidate’s English language skills are deemed insufficient, he or she may be asked to take and pass an English proficiency interview at the superior level and/or an English language skill test such as Ordinate’s at the discretion of the ICP.

Oral Proficiency Interviews will be scheduled after candidates pass the written exam, or as they become necessary. The OPI will be offered at specific locations on weekdays during business hours in Philadelphia, Harrisburg, or Pittsburgh. Candidates will receive more information, instructions, and a registration form after completing the written examination requirement. The cost of the OPI is currently $143.

Sign Language Interpreters

After passing the multiple choice part of the written exam, sign language interpreters must comply with the following requirements in lieu of an oral examination:

1. Be certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) or the National Association for the Deaf (NAD).
2. Provide proof of their RID or NAD certifications. Proof shall consist of a copy of their certificates and a valid active membership card, or a letter from RID or NAD certifying the results of the proficiency examination and status.
3. Hold a relevant RID or NAD certificate for legal interpretation as determined by the Court Administrator.

Note: All events are subject to change, rescheduling and cancellation. Changes will be announced and posted on this website when necessary. It is the interpreter’s responsibility to keep informed about program events.