Court Interpreter

Court Interpreter

The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas is accepting applications for the position of Court Interpreter, located in Del Rio, Texas. Remote interpreting will be required across the Western District of Texas divisional offices. A Court Interpreter provides interpreting and translation services for Spanish speaking defendants, witnesses, and family members. The incumbent also provides interpreting services for the general public conducting business with the court or the Clerk’s Office.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing simultaneous and consecutive interpretation, and sight translation services during in-court hearings related to all stages of the criminal process by transferring the message from English into Spanish, and from Spanish into English.
• Providing interpreting services in the relay mode with interpreters of indigenous languages from Mexico. Acts as facilitator of telephonic events in the courtroom for interpreting events in other-than-Spanish languages.
• Providing interpreting services nationwide as part of the Telephone Interpreting Program, with priority to the Western District of Texas. This responsibility entails researching the assigned cases and preparing for the event following established protocols.
• Responsible for scheduling and coordinating contract interpreters, including contracting interpreters for the Telephone Interpreting Program, as needed. Coordinate with clerk’s office and chambers staff to meet the interpreting needs of the court, as well as locating and confirming any additional contract interpreters needed to provide services.
• Preparing for assignments by reading case files and conducting terminology research, as necessary.
• Preparing written translations of a variety of materials for the court, ranging from general correspondence to the court from defendants and/or family members, to complex legal documents from other countries. Assignments may also include the translation of official forms.
• Participating in working groups that already exist or may be formed with the objective of completing special projects such as glossaries or translations.
• Contributing to or preparing presentations on translation/interpretation-related topics as part of staff meetings or other professional development efforts.
• Must have the ability to remain impartial.
• The staff interpreter is responsible for assigned administrative duties and clerical work and keeps in communication with other staff members and the supervisor to accommodate the court’s interpreting needs.
• Provides relief coverage as needed to the divisional offices across the Western District of Texas.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and preferred qualifications include:

To be considered for this position, you must have successfully completed the Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination (FCICE) and be federally certified by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts for Spanish/English. A minimum of three (3) years of specialized experience is also required. Candidate should also possess basic computer/software skills in order to perform translation, research, and administrative duties. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has provided the interpreter with the knowledge, skills and abilities to accurately and idiomatically render a message from the source language into the receptor language without any additions, omissions or other misleading factors that in any way alter the intended meaning of the message from the source language speaker in a courtroom or legal environment. Preferred qualifications include:

• Experience working with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, and socioeconomic levels is desirable.
• Extensive knowledge of legal, highly technical, and colloquial vocabulary in English and Spanish, and familiarity with the regional border language characteristics/slang of the southwest area of the United States is preferred but not required.
• Membership in an interpreting/translation professional association is highly desirable.

Application procedure:

Qualified candidates may apply by submitting a letter of interest (include job title/number listed above), resume, copy of your Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts for Spanish/English certificate, e-mail address, and a daytime phone number to: