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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I become a
federally certified Spanish language court interpreter?
To be a federally certified court
interpreter, you must first take and pass a two-part (English and Spanish)
Written Examination. Once you
pass that examination, you are eligible to register for the Oral
Examination. If you pass the
Oral Examination, you are federally certified and will receive official
notification from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.
The minimum time required to become certified is two-years. The Written
Examination is administered one year, with the Oral Examination
administered in the following year.
Is it possible to become
federally certified without taking this examination?
No. There are no alternative
examinations or qualifications for becoming federally certified.
State certification or having passing test results on tests
administered by other federal, state, or local agencies or interpreter
training programs are not accepted in lieu of the FCICE examinations.
While there are some good educational programs, having a
“certificate” or diploma from one or more of these programs is not a
substitute for the FCICE, which is a performance test of interpreting
skills.
What
can I do to prepare for this examination?
The
Examinee Handbook has suggestions for preparing for both the Written
Examination and the Oral Examination, including reference materials.
There is also a full-length practice examination for both the
Written and Oral Examinations, which may help you focus on areas where
you need additional study and practice.
You might also visit
the Web page of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and
Translators (NAJIT) at www.najit.org,
or the Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification at www.ncsconline.org/D_Research/CIResources.html.
Both of these Web sites have information and links that you may find
useful in your pursuit for resources.
How
do I know that I'm qualified to take this examination?
The Examinee Handbook includes material entitled
“Self-assessment of readiness to take the FCICE” (Section 5).
The assessment is designed to help you determine whether your
language proficiency and interpreting skills are sufficient for you to
have a reasonable chance of passing the examination.
The assessment is only helpful when you complete an honest
assessment of your actual skill levels. What
are the passing scores for the written and oral examinations?
To pass the Written Examination, candidates must score 75 or higher on both
the English and the Spanish sections of the test. To pass the Oral Examination, candidates must obtain an overall
score of 80 or higher.
Why isn't the
written examination given in a location closer to me or easier for me to get to?
The
written examination locations are determined by the Administrative Office
of the United States Courts based on several factors, including the need
for federally certified court interpreters in various areas of the
country.
The AO assesses the needs and considers some additional factors
before each administration of the Written Examination and decides where
the examinations are going to be administered.
Generally, the Written Examination is offered in over thirty
locations around the country
Why are the
written examinations given every other year instead of once a year?
The FCICE is a two-phase process involving the Spanish/English Written
Examination (Phase One) and Oral Examination (Phase Two).
With some exceptions, since 1983, these two phases have been
administered biennially, with Phase One and Phase Two occurring in
alternating years. The cost
associated with administering the federal examinations is high and it
takes almost a year to complete the pre-examination, examination, and
post-examination activities.
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