Foreign Language Certification Process for Becoming a Certified or Qualified Interpreter for the State of Rhode Island Judiciary
In accordance with the Rhode Island Supreme Court Executive Orders 2012-05 and 2009-05, the Rhode Island
Judiciary’s Access to Justice Office will be hosting the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Foreign
Language Court Certification Exam in April of 2023.
PROCESS: There are three (3) steps to become a certified court interpreter in Rhode Island: the candidate must
pass the written examination, must pass the oral examination, and complete a one (1) day training session.
1. Written Examination
The written exam consists of 135 multiple-choice questions designed to evaluate a candidate’s general vocabulary
in English, knowledge of court-related terms and usage, and ethics and professional conduct. Candidates are
allowed two (2) hours and fifteen (15) minutes to complete the multiple-choice section and they must score a
minimum of 80%.
Candidates who fail the written examination shall be required to wait a period of six (6) months to be tested again.
A passing score in the written examination is valid only for three (3) years.
Candidates register for the written exam by submitting the Foreign Language Certification Registration for
Written Examination form included in this announcement. The cost of the written exam is $150.00 payable at
the time of registration by money order to the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
Candidates will receive the written exam scores approximately three (3) weeks after taking the test.
2. Oral examination
Only candidates who pass the written examination are eligible to register for the oral portion of the exam.
Candidates register for the oral exam by submitting the Foreign Language Certification Registration for Oral
Examination form included in this announcement once they pass the written portion of the certification process.
The cost of the Spanish oral exam is $300.00. For languages other than Spanish, please contact the Access to
Justice Office as fees will vary depending on the language. All fees must be paid at the time of registration by
money order issued to the Rhode Island Supreme Court.
The oral exam consists of the following sections:
1. Sight translation, with two subsections:
a) English into foreign language; and
b) Foreign language into English
2. Consecutive interpretation
3. Simultaneous interpretation
The oral examination is a recorded process and will be conducted at a place to be determined. Audio recordings
of each oral exam will be graded by raters from the NCSC and scored within four (4) to six (6) weeks.
The passing score is 70% on each of the sections of the oral test. If no oral examination is available for the
language requested due to unavailability, a candidate’s oral proficiency may be assessed by the Access to Justice
Office in order to meet minimum requirements.
Candidates who fail the oral examination shall be required to wait a period of six (6) months to be tested again.
If you have taken the NCSC written exam in another state, the issuing state needs to submit the official scores of
your written examination before you can register for the oral examination in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island
Judiciary proctors only full written and oral examinations.
3. Training Sessions
In order to be included on the Judiciary’s roster as a certified interpreter and provide language services to the state
court system at the highest compensation rate(s), each candidate who passes both the written and oral portions of
the examination must attend a one (1) day training session conducted in Rhode Island. At the session, the
candidates will learn about protocol and procedures in court.
Those candidates who pass the written examination but who do not pass the oral examination may still meet the
requirements for becoming a qualified interpreter for the Judiciary but may have limited assignments and will not
be entitled to the same level pay as a certified interpreter.
The one (1) day training session costs $100.00 and is payable by money order issued to the Rhode Island Supreme
Court at the time of the training registration.