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Court interpreter hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring court interpreters in the United States:
Here's a step-by-step court interpreter hiring guide:
A court interpreter is responsible for translating one language to another in real-time in a courtroom setting. Court interpreters work closely with clients and law officers to relay accurate and reliable information from the actual context. Apart from having excellent communication skills, a court interpreter should also possess extensive knowledge of the legal industry to understand and interpret terms accordingly. They also translate legal documents for court reference. In some cases, a court interpreter may also read the statements beforehand to have a good grasp of courtroom procedures.
Before you post your court interpreter job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a court interpreter for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.
A court interpreter's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, court interpreters from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.
This list shows salaries for various types of court interpreters.
| Type of Court Interpreter | Description | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Court Interpreter | Interpreters and translators convert information from one language into another language. Interpreters work in spoken or sign language; translators work in written language. | $12-34 |
| Technical Translator | Technical Translation is the act of translating materials in a specific technical or scientific subject domain. A Technical Translator understands the nitty-gritty of the subject matter and knows the specialized terms in that field in both the source and secondary languages... Show more | $17-37 |
| Language Translator | Language translators are linguistic professionals who are responsible for converting information from one language to another to help people read the translation based on the original source. These translators must use a computer to translate the original language into their native language... Show more | $13-33 |
Including a salary range in the court interpreter job description is a good way to get more applicants. A court interpreter salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.
For example, the average salary for a court interpreter in Florida may be lower than in New York, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level court interpreter. Additionally, a court interpreter with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $73,257 | $35 |
| 2 | California | $68,170 | $33 |
| 3 | Virginia | $65,874 | $32 |
| 4 | Colorado | $57,965 | $28 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $56,936 | $27 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $53,087 | $26 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $50,286 | $24 |
| 8 | Texas | $44,999 | $22 |
| 9 | Arizona | $43,626 | $21 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $40,861 | $20 |
| 11 | Illinois | $39,724 | $19 |
| 12 | Puerto Rico | $38,796 | $19 |
| 13 | Florida | $38,153 | $18 |
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Houston | $80,658 | $38.78 | 1 |
| 2 | U.S. District Court | $75,424 | $36.26 | |
| 3 | New Jersey Courts | $74,729 | $35.93 | |
| 4 | Delaware State Government | $74,181 | $35.66 | 1 |
| 5 | United States Courts | $71,377 | $34.32 | 29 |
| 6 | Superior Court Of California | $52,847 | $25.41 | 18 |
| 7 | State of Connecticut | $48,889 | $23.50 | |
| 8 | Maricopa County | $48,195 | $23.17 | 2 |
| 9 | My Florida Regional Mls | $47,786 | $22.97 | |
| 10 | SOS International | $46,889 | $22.54 | 100 |
| 11 | Metlang | $46,631 | $22.42 | 4 |
| 12 | Superior Court of Fulton County | $46,320 | $22.27 | 4 |
| 13 | Welocalize | $43,352 | $20.84 | 32 |
| 14 | Florida Department of Transportation | $40,484 | $19.46 | |
| 15 | State Of Florida | $32,798 | $15.77 | 21 |
| 16 | Florida Dept. of Health | $31,968 | $15.37 |
A good court interpreter job description should include a few things:
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a court interpreter job description:
There are a few common ways to find court interpreters for your business:
To successfully recruit court interpreters, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.
It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Once you've found the court interpreter candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.
It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new court interpreter. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.
There are different types of costs for hiring court interpreters. One-time cost per hire for the recruitment process. Ongoing costs include employee salary, training, onboarding, benefits, insurance, and equipment. It is essential to consider all of these costs when evaluating hiring a new court interpreter employee.
The median annual salary for court interpreters is $44,300 in the US. However, the cost of court interpreter hiring can vary a lot depending on location. Additionally, hiring a court interpreter for contract work or on a per-project basis typically costs between $12 and $34 an hour.