How To Become A Court Interpreter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a court interpreter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A court interpreter is an individual linguist that can provide an accurate and unbiased translation of one language to another. The translation must capture the literal meaning of each person's speech in a courtroom setting. As a court interpreter, you are expected to work closely with law officers and clients to be able to relay accurate information and reliable information from the supposed context. You may have to read statements before appearing in court to have a foreknowledge of courtroom procedures.

You must possess at least a bachelor's degree in either English, linguistics, foreign languages, and all other related fields. Having excellent communication skills makes you a better candidate for this role. You should also have extensive knowledge about the legal industry to interpret and understand things the way they are supposed to. As a court interpreter, you will earn an average salary of $39 463 in a year.

ScoreCourt InterpreterUS Average

Salary

3.5

Avg. Salary $44,300

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.1

Growth rate 20%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.30%

Asian 14.14%

Black or African American 6.17%

Hispanic or Latino 35.41%

Unknown 5.68%

White 38.29%

Gender

female 59.08%

male 40.92%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

6.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a court interpreter

Explore court interpreter education requirements

Most common court interpreter degrees

Bachelor's

61.0 %

Master's

16.3 %

Associate

10.7 %

Start to develop specific court interpreter skills

Skills	Percentages
Vice Versa	38.63%
Court Cases	18.48%
Court Hearings	18.37%
Spanish Language	12.49%
Immigration Court	2.65%

Complete relevant court interpreter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New court interpreters learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a court interpreter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real court interpreter resumes.

Research court interpreter duties and responsibilities

Coach and teach students to achieve grades at or beyond expect IEP goals.
Assist in court order psychiatric evaluations, DUI assessments, and prison interviews.
Follow all CyraCom policies and procedures relate to information confidentiality and interpreter ethics.
Provide professional interpretation services for individuals with limit English-language proficiency, typically in medical settings

Prepare your court interpreter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your court interpreter resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a court interpreter resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable court interpreter resume templates

Build a professional court interpreter resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your court interpreter resume.