Court Interpreting

The mission of Court Interpreting is to provide certified or duly qualified interpreters in the courtroom to non-English speaking or deaf persons for all six counties of the Eighth Judicial Circuit.  Court Interpreting schedules and provides interpreting services for court events held in front of a Judge or Magistrate. The Eighth Judicial Circuit employs one full-time certified Spanish interpreter and maintains a roster of certified and qualified contract interpreters who are employed on an as-needed basis.

Court Interpreters are required to attend the State Courts orientation workshop and successfully pass the written and oral examinations prior to being hired as an independent contractor in the Eighth Judicial Circuit. Telephonic foreign language interpretation is provided for weekend and holiday first appearances and for languages not common to the Eighth Judicial Circuit. Real-time reporting services are also available for English literate deaf individuals as an alternate means when no sign language interpreter is available.

All requests should be made in advance whenever possible and in writing to Court Administration via e-mail at: interpreter@circuit8.org.  If you do not receive a confirmation request within two business days prior to the hearing or event, please contact the Court Interpreter at (352) 264-7063. If the Court Interpreter is unavailable, contact Court Administration at (352) 264-7029. 

Court Interpreting – Contractors

Court Interpreting in the Eighth Judicial Circuit is currently seeking bilingual persons who are fluent in English and a foreign language, and who are interested in acting as court interpreters on an “as needed” basis. Court interpreters must be willing to travel to all six counties of the Eighth Judicial Circuit: Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union.

Court interpreters are hired as independent contractors. Interested persons must first pass the State Courts written examination, as well as the oral proficiency examination if offered in your working language, and apply for certification through the Office of the State Courts Administrator. All others will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Rate of pay is $60.00 per hour for Spanish interpreting with a one hour minimum in county of residence for interpreters who hold certification. Rates of pay for ASL or languages not common to the 8th Circuit are at market rate. Please see the Schedule of Orientation Workshops and Examinations for more information on orientation workshops, written examinations, and oral examinations.

Please note: As of July 1^st, 2008, there are additional requirements for those wishing to hold State of Florida Certification.

If you are interested in the State Court Interpreter Program, you may view the Interpreter Recruitment Brochure, or visit the Florida State Court’s website. For additional information on working as a contract Court Interpreter with the Eighth Judicial Circuit, please visit Employment at the Eighth Judicial Circuit.

Other helpful links concerning the court interpreting profession:

• AOSC11-45: In re: Court Interpreting Services in Florida’s Trial Courts
• Publications by the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT)