Court Interpreter Program
Registration for our 2017 Court Interpreter Certification seminars and examinations has not opened yet, but tentative dates for these events are as follow:
| Delaware Court Interpreter Program 2017 Certification Session Tentative Dates | |||||
| County | Location | Orientation Seminar | Written Exam | Oral Exam | |
| New Castle County | NCC Courthouse | December 02, 2016 | |||
| New Castle County | NCC Courthouse | February 02, 2017 | April 07, 2017 | September, 2017 | |
| Kent County | To be announced | February 07, 2017 | March 31, 2017 | September, 2017 | |
| Sussex County | To be announced | February 09, 2017 | EXAM MUST BE TAKEN AT NEW CASTLE OR KENT LOCATIONS | September, 2017 | |
Please check this webpage often for changes. Formal announcement, along with registration forms and instructions, will be posted closer to the testing dates.
The orientation seminar is the first step in the certification process. It is a full-day event and attendance requires a fee of $65 for DE residents and $120 for out-of-state residents. The orientation seminars will be offered in all three counties. Please read our qualification and registration process.
In the meantime, here are some helpful links:
Glossaries of court terms used in the Delaware courts
Resources page on the state website
Practice exams for the Federal exam
Please check this web page often for changes and additional registration information.
You may contact the Court Interpreter Program if you have additional questions.
Upcoming Workshops
American Translators Association 57th Annual Conference - November 2-5, 2016 San Francisco
Delaware AOC Court Interpreter Program: Maximum of 12 CEUs.
Introduction
In April 1996, Chief Justice E. Norman Veasey established Delaware's Certified Court Interpreter Program ("Program") under Administrative Directive No. 107 in recognition of the guiding principle that all persons should enjoy equal access to the Delaware justice system regardless of age, color, gender, national origin, physical or mental disability, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. The Program’s goal is to provide language assistance and certified and qualified interpreters to the courts thus ensuring equal access to the judicial system for litigants with limited English proficiency or who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Delaware has since then made great strides and currently has strong policies and procedures in place to ensure language access to the judiciary. The existing and contemplated programs and policies of the Judicial Branch aimed at taking reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to all individuals in any encounters with the Delaware Judiciary regardless of their national origin or limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English are contained in the Delaware Judiciary Language Access Plan, (LAP).
The Court Interpreter Program
Since its inception, the Court Interpreter Program has continually developed in response to the sustained growth of the limited English proficient (“LEP”) populations in Delaware and in keeping with the Judiciary’s commitment to equal access to the courts.
The Court Interpreter Program is managed by the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) under the direction of the Court Interpreter Advisory Board. The Advisory Board is comprised of 5 Delaware judges, a certified interpreter, and the Coordinator of the Court Interpreter Program. The Program is responsible for the development and implementation of policies and procedures on the use of interpreters in the Delaware courts; the interpreter services budget; the recruitment, testing, and certification of interpreter candidates and other general administrative duties.
Becoming an Interpreter
All candidates wishing to become certified or otherwise qualified must complete a qualification and registration process consisting, in short, of four steps: orientation seminar, written exam, criminal background check and oral exam. After certification and before inclusion in the Court Interpreter Registry, the candidate will enter into a service agreement with the AOC and sign an Oath to abide by the Code of Ethics for Professional Interpreters. In order to remain in the Registry interpreter must be in good standing and comply with all steps and requirements of the Program as outlined in the Court Interpreter Program Policy Directive.
For more information on becoming a certified interpreter in Delaware, please contact:
Jennifer Figueira
Administrative Office of the Courts
The Renaissance Centre
405 N. King Street, Suite 507
Wilmington, DE 19801
voice: 302.255.0166
fax: 302.255.2217
Jennifer.Figueira@state.de.us
