Salaries for Court Interpreters
Court interpreters do more than translate between one language to another: They also translate ideas and concepts. Interpreters deal with oral communication. They help ensure the rights of non-English-speaking or non-speaking persons by eliminating language barriers. Court interpreters must thoroughly understand the language they are charged with interpreting and the cultural differences in meanings from one language to another.
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Duties
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Court interpreters serve the judicial system at all levels of the court system. They provide translation services during first appearances, arraignments, preliminary hearings, trials or any other occasion that involves some aspect of the court case. Not all of these appearances take place in the courtroom. When needed, interpreters must provide services at different locations, including the judge's chambers, jail, hospital, attorney's office, detention center or any other site interpretation is needed during the course of the court proceedings.
Pay Differences
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The pay for a court interpreter differs by geographic location and the hiring court. In 2000, the federal courts paid $305 a day for per diem interpreters. If the interpreter is hired by a private party, the pay rate is negotiable. Open positions posted by the National Center for State Courts indicate the pay varies greatly by job type and hiring source. For example, the pay rate for a part-time English-Spanish interpreter in the 20th Judicial Circuit in Fort Myers/Naples, Fla., in 2010 was $16,538. The pay rate for an English-Spanish interpreter in Maricopa County, Ariz., in 2010 was $19.65 to $33.83 per hour. In Washington D.C., the pay rate for a sign language interpreter posted in 2009 was between $73,100 and $95,026. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the states with the highest demand for court interpreters are California, New York and Washington, D.C.
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Employment Status
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Many court interpreters are self-employed, independent contractors. In some localities, the need for interpreters justifies maintaining full-time staff positions. The majority of staff positions are for Spanish-English interpreters, according to the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators.
Average Salaries
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Interpreters who work in staff positions usually earn between $30,000 to $80,000, according to the NAJIT. Freelance interpreters have significantly more earning potential. The NAJIT reports freelancers can earn more than $100,000 a year if they are willing to work more than eight hours a day, or the traditional 40-hour workweek. Freelance interpreters must devote a significant amount of time to looking for new work. The median wage for court interpreters as of May 2008 was $38,850, according to the BLS. The lowest paid court reporters earned less than $22,170, while the highest 10 percent earned $69,190.
Experience
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The ability to get a job as a court interpreter is often dependent on experience. "Many agencies or companies use only the service of people who have worked in the field for 3 to 5 years," according to the BLS. A good way to gain experience is through volunteer work and paid and unpaid internships.
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References
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