Reciprocity

Interpreters holding a current federal court interpreter certification in Spanish are eligible to become California certified court interpreters. To be added to the Master List of Certified Court and Registered Interpreters, federally certified interpreters must request an enrollment packet at courtinterpreters@jud.ca.gov and follow the instructions provided upon receipt.

If you have passed an oral interpreting exam developed by the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts (CLAC) or are a federally certified court interpreter you may qualify for reciprocity from the Judicial Council of California’s Court Interpreters Program.

Eligibility

California will reciprocate (honor) your scores on a Consortium oral interpreting exam taken outside of California, provided the criteria established by California are met. Find more information on the reciprocity requirements:

• The interpreter passed all four sections (including both sight translation sections) of the Bilingual Oral Interpreting Exam with 70% or higher in each section; or
• The interpreter passed the Abbreviated Oral Exam1 with 70% or higher on the simultaneous portion and a requisite score on the oral English proficiency section; and,
• The interpreter passed all portions of the oral exam in one sitting; and
• Passed all portions of the oral exam in one state.
   

Test Reciprocity 

If you have taken and passed an oral interpreting exam developed by the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts (Consortium), you may qualify for test reciprocity by the Judicial Council of California’s Court Interpreters Program.

Test reciprocity means that California will reciprocate (honor) your scores on a Consortium oral interpreting exam taken outside of California, provided the criteria listed below are met. If California grants reciprocity based on your test scores, you are not required to retake the oral interpreting exam in the language for which you are seeking certified status. If reciprocity is granted, you will be required to complete the enrollment process specified for all California interpreters.

→ Please note that the California Court Interpreters Program will only recognize oral bilingual interpreting exam standards and scores that meet or exceed the requirements in California.
 

Applying for Reciprocity

If you meet the listed criteria above, please complete the California Court Interpreter Eligibility Verification Form and email it to courtinterpreters@jud.ca.gov.

Verification of your eligibility can take between 30-45 business days. The Court Interpreters Program will notify you via email once your eligibility status has been confirmed. 
 

Timeline

Once eligibility requirements are verified, the Court Interpreters Program will send you an enrollment packet. The enrollment process requires a completed application, payment of an enrollment fee, and submission of a recent photo. 

You will be recognized as a California court interpreter after you complete the enrollment process. Once your enrollment is complete, you will be added to the Master List of Certified Court and Registered Interpreters (Master List). The Master List is used by the California courts and the public to identify, locate, and contract with qualified interpreters. You will also receive a badge showing your status.  

In order to maintain status as a certified court or registered California interpreter you must abide all compliance requirements which include submitting an annual renewal fee and fulfilling the continuing education and professional assignments requirements approved by the California Judicial Council.

Effective January 1, 2024, the Judicial Council recognizes the following credentials for certified American Sign Language (ASL) court interpreters:

• Specialist Certificate: Legal (SC:L), formerly offered by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID)
• Texas Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) Court Interpreter Certification (CIC), offered by the Texas Office of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS)

You can find the council report here that led to the acceptance of the Texas BEI CIC credential. Read the Bulletin below for information on taking the Texas BEI CIC, applying for reciprocity as an ASL interpreter, and more. 

• Bulletin for Interpreters on the Texas ASL Court Interpreter Certification
• Reciprocity Application for the Texas ASL Court Interpreter Certification