The court interpreter certification process is being reorganized, with changes taking effect on January 1, 2025. Candidates will now have the flexibility to choose whether to take the written exam before or after completing the two-day orientation. Previously, attending the orientation was required before taking the written exam. Both the orientation and written exam must still be completed and passed to qualify to sit for the oral exam or oral proficiency interview (OPI).
The two-day orientation provides essential training on the interpreter's role, professional ethics, modes of interpreting used in court, legal terminology, and court protocols. The written exam, consisting of 135 multiple-choice questions and lasting 2 hours and 15 minutes, assesses English proficiency, legal terminology knowledge, understanding of court procedures, and ethical decision-making. A passing score remains 80% or higher.
In addition, the waiting period to retake the written exam will be reduced from six months to three months, while the six-month waiting period for the oral exam will remain unchanged. To support these updates, the written exam will be offered monthly throughout 2025. You can find the 2025 save-the-date schedule here.
The Language Access Scholarship is now open, and applications are currently being accepted. This scholarship would cover the cost of the three-step certification process through the Illinois Language Access Program. This includes the two-day orientation ($200), a written exam ($50), and an oral exam ($225) or an oral proficiency interview (OPI) ($130) for languages where an oral exam is not available. Additionally, the scholarship covers 50% of the costs for retakes of the written exam, oral exam, or OPI.
Each year, the scholarship will be awarded to five individuals who meet the eligibility criteria: applicants must be at least 18 years old, reside in Illinois, and earn less than $50,000 annually. Proof of income is required. The scholarship application is available here.
Finally, following our request for proposals, the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts (AOIC) has chosen Interprenet as the vendor for direct billing of remote interpreting services. If you are currently using Interprenet, there will be no changes for your circuit. inLingo will continue direct billing our office until December 31. If you wish to continue using inLingo after that date, you may still do so; however, they will no longer be able to direct bill the AOIC. Instead, your circuit will receive the invoices directly, which your office will be responsible for paying. You may then use the interpreter reimbursement voucher for certified, qualified, and/or registered court interpreters listed on the AOIC Registry or another state registry, which can be found here.
Please note that this reimbursement voucher can be used with any vendor or interpreter your circuit prefers, if the interpreters used are certified, qualified, and/or registered court interpreters listed on the AOIC Registry or another state registry.
The AOIC currently reimburses the full cost for certified and qualified court interpreters. The current reimbursement rate for registered status is $39/hour.
For questions or more information about interpreter certification or reimbursement, please email Noor Alawawda at nalawawda@illinoiscourts.gov.