Where do I start? Where do I get certified? How do I get certified? What are the requirements? How do I navigate this government website? What does all of this mean? Do I have to take a test? How do I pass? What do I study? What do I do? How do I become an interpreter?
As you can see, if you want to become a legal interpreter, you probably have lots of questions. To many people, a straight answer seems hard to find in the age of information overload, which is why we are here to help. In this video, we will be breaking the process to becoming a certified legal interpreter into the three main steps required by most states.
The first step is to attend a mandatory state orientation. This is a one to two day presentation that covers what interpreting is, as well as what to expect in the field. The orientation will also cover requirements specific to your home state. After attending this, you will hopefully have a better idea of what the field is about.
Once you complete the orientation and decide if this is the right career path for you, you will then have to take a written English exam, proctored by your state. This exam will cover general knowledge of the English language, court-related terms and usage, and ethical conduct.
Once you pass the written exam, the third and final step is to take and pass an oral proficiency exam, which is also given by your home state. Now, this test can be a little bit more challenging. Only an average of 15% of prospective interpreters who have not received training pass their first attempt at the exam. But have no fear. With the right training, your chances of passing the first time will be much higher.
So how do you get the training to pass these exams? Conveniently enough, we have a whole online school for just that purpose. If you are interested in becoming an interpreter and want to train to pass your exams, you can visit our Facebook page or our website to see the courses we offer.
Fairly soon, we will also be creating part two of this video, which is a step-by-step guide to becoming a medical interpreter. If medical interpreting seems more like your cup of tea, definitely remember to stay tuned by liking our Facebook page.
We hope this cleared things up a bit. We’re always here to answer questions, so feel free to shoot us a message on Facebook and don’t forget to like and share with your bilingual friends!
For more information on specific state requirements and orientations, visit https://dlminstitute.wpengine.com/become-an-interpreter/.