The program had its genesis in the recommendations of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's 'Report on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System', issued in March 2003, and its foundation on the enabling legislation passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor on November 29, 2006: Act 172 of 2006. It is based on the best practice model established by the National Center for State Court's Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification, which Pennsylvania joined in September of 2004. The Supreme Court, recognizing the importance of this issue acted proactively and charged the Court Administrator with the task of organizing and launching the Interpreter Certification Program (ICP) within the Judicial Programs Department of the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC).
The program's main goal is the creation of a statewide roster of qualified and certified interpreters and assisting the sixty judicial districts in the implementation of effective management strategies for providing interpreter services. This goal will be achieved through the implementation of a testing program to measure interpreter qualifications and skills, knowledge of the judicial system and adherence to standards of professional conduct. Through various educational strategies, the program will work with judges, administrators, the legal community and others in order to promote awareness of interpreter issues such as training, testing, the proper role and use of interpreters, the necessary skills for being an effective interpreter, and the proper handling of interpreter matters. The program has jurisdiction and will certify both foreign language interpreters and interpreters for the deaf.
The certification process for foreign language interpreters in a language for which there is a Consortium based full oral proficiency examination consists of several steps. First candidates must attend a two day orientation workshop where they receive instruction about the organization and functions of the Pennsylvania judicial system. Also covered at this workshop are topics such as legal vocabulary, the various types of cases, professional ethics, and interpreting skills. The second step is the administration of a multiple-choice written examination with a foreign language assessment exercise (only for interpreters working in a language for which a full or partial oral exam is available). This exam is designed to test the candidate's command of the English language, knowledge of legal vocabulary, the code of ethics, and basic knowledge of their foreign language for those taking the language assessment exercise. Successful candidates must achieve an 80% passing score in order to move on to the third step, a three-part oral examination consisting of simultaneous, consecutive and sight portions which measures their interpreting skills and command of their foreign language. The simultaneous portion is used as a screening tool and administered first. After passing the simultaneous, candidates take the consecutive and sight portions. The passing score for the oral portion of the examination is 70% for each section.
Interpreters working in a language for which only a partial oral exam exists must attend the orientation workshop, pass the multiple-choice written examination and the foreign language assessment exercise, and the available portions of the oral proficiency examination in their foreign language. They must take and pass the remaining portions of the oral exam in their foreign language when available in order to remain certified.
Those interpreters in languages for which no Consortium based test presently exists are required to attend the orientation workshop and pass the multiple-choice written examination. They will not be administered the foreign language assessment. In lieu of an oral proficiency exam, they have to perform at the superior level in an oral proficiency evaluation, such as an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), if one is available in their language, to assess their foreign language skills. If necessary, an assessment of their English language proficiency will be conducted using an English oral proficiency exam, or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Sign language interpreters and interpreters for the deaf are required to have a certificate from either the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), or the National Association for the Deaf (NAD). If certified through RID, they must possess at minimum one of the following certificates in order to become certified: a Specialist Certificate in Legal Interpretation (SC/L) is preferred, combined Certificate of Interpretation and Certificate of Transliteration (CI/CT), Comprehensive Skills Certificate (CSC), Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) certificate, Conditional Legal Interpreting Permit-Relay (CLIP-R), or the National Interpreter Certification (NIC). Interpreters holding the following certificates will be considered qualified: a Certificate of Interpretation (CI), Certificate of Translation (CT), or NAD IV. Interpreters holding any other relevant RID or NAD certificate for legal interpretation will be classified as registered. All sign language interpreters will also be required to attend an orientation workshop and pass the multiple-choice written examination without the language assessment exercise. Deaf interpreters and those already holding CDI from RID are exempt from the written exam. In lieu of the ICP written examination, deaf interpreters will be required to take and pass the CDI knowledge test by December of 2009 in order to remain a viable candidate for certification. Proof of any certification must be provided in writing and maintained up-to-date. In addition, all sign language interpreters must comply with the requirements of Act 57 and register with the Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Department of Labor and Industry if they possess a RID certificate.
Interpreters who successfully complete their certification must comply with continuing education requirements in order to renew their certification. All certified interpreters will be required to take sixteen (16) hours of continuing education units (CEU) within the compliance period of every two (2) years. This can be achieved by participating in training or skill development workshops sponsored by various educational and professional organizations or by taking academic courses in accredited colleges or universities in areas relevant to court interpreting. All CEU units must be approved in advance by the program administrator. Interpreters must also pass a background check and are encouraged to maintain an active membership in at least one professional organization.
The ICP will acknowledge and reciprocate accreditation by other Consortium member states provided that the oral proficiency examination was administered according to Consortium standards and the candidate achieved a 70% passing score in all parts of the oral proficiency examination; the Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination (FCICE); or the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT); or other foreign jurisdictions, as long as the requirements are judged to be equivalent to ours. Interpreters seeking to be certified in this manner must submit proof of any such accreditation in writing, attend an orientation seminar, pass a background investigation, and comply with any additional requirements.