Find a Language Interpreter/Language Access Program | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts
AOIC Language Access Registry
The AOIC maintains a Court Interpreter Registry (Registry) that lists certified and registered spoken language interpreters and sign language interpreters that have met certain training and testing requirements.
Resources
This section provides the following resources for circuit courts and interpreters:
Language Access Plans
The AOIC is overseeing the creation and implementation of Language Access Plans in each of the 24 judicial circuits of the state, based on a Plan template that was approved by the Illinois Supreme Court. Once a circuit court submits a Plan, it will be publicly available
here.
Illinois Supreme Court Language Access Policy and Code of Interpreter Ethics
The Illinois Supreme Court adopted a Language Access Policy and Code of Interpreter Ethics to provide guidance to the judiciary and develop a unified approach for the provision of statewide language access services in Illinois courts.
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Scholarship to Cover the Cost of the Interpreter Certification Process
The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) is pleased to announce a new scholarship for those interested in becoming certified court interpreters in Illinois. The AOIC recognizes the importance that skilled court interpreters play in the justice system and the courts very high need for qualified interpreters. This scholarship presents a wonderful opportunity to expand the number of certified court interpreters working throughout the state.
This scholarship would cover the cost of the three-step certification process through the Illinois Language Access Program. This includes a 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, this scholarship will cover 50% of the costs for retakes for both the written and/or oral exam or OPI. This scholarship will be offered to 5 individuals per year. To qualify for this scholarship, individuals must be at least 18 years or older, reside in Illinois and make less than $50,000 a year. Proof of income is required.
Individuals who have already began the Language Access Certification Program are eligible to apply for this scholarship. Previous costs paid will not be reimbursable, but exams moving forward will be covered by the AOIC if selected.
For those interested in applying for this scholarship, an application must be completed, along with supplemental materials such as a Federal Tax Return. Our office will begin accepting applications for 2025, in November. Please reach out to Noor Alawawda, nalawawda@illinoiscourts.gov, with any questions.
85% of all interpretations were in criminal proceedings, 13% civil proceedings, and 2% were court-annexed proceedings. Spanish remains the most common language need at 96%. American Sign Language was the second most requested language at 1%, followed by Polish. Languages seen throughout Illinois that were also prevalent were Mandarin, Arabic, French, Vietnamese, Ukrainian, Urdu/Hindi, and Russian.
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