Court Interpreter - Certified (English/Creole) - Translation & Interpretation (State Funded)

The salary is non-negotiable. The successful candidate will be hired at the minimum salary. NEW SALARY: $81,519.12 (annual salary of $73,070.04 plus Competitive Area Differential pay of $704.09 per month).

An individual in this position is responsible for the accurate translation of verbal and written communications from one language to another. Work may be performed at various branch courts and/or in a courtroom, judge’s chambers, attorney’s office, jail, detention center or hospital. 

• Interprets oral communications from a foreign language to English and vice versa; and renders oral interpretation of written text.
• Appears in court, as required, as an expert witness in order to introduce translations into evidence.
• Reviews any material translated with any party involved with a case as required.
• Certifies translations made by others as to the accuracy of the translation.
• Reviews translated material as preparation for trial.
• Interprets for parties to a case, judges, lawyers, witnesses, social workers, probation officers, investigators, psychologists, state attorneys, and public defenders.
• Interprets at pretrial conferences, during sworn statements, depositions, interviews, investigations, bond hearings, arraignments, the jail, plea bargains, motions, jury and bench trials, sentencings, probation hearings, domestic violence proceedings, court calendars, polygraph examinations, and landlord/tenant disputes.
• May be required to work weekends and overtime on a rotation basis.
• May be required to work remotely, as well as travel to any of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit branch locations, detention centers and hospital facilities.
• Performs related work as required.

• (Required) Certification as a Certified Court Interpreter issued by the Florida Court Interpreter Certification and Regulation Program at time of hire and throughout the course of employment.
• One of the following:  
  • Graduation from college with a Bachelor’s Degree preferably in English, the target language, or a closely related field and 2 to 4 years of legal court-related interpreting experience. 
    or
  • Four (4) years of legal court-related interpreting experience.
• Compliance with all Continuing Interpreter Education (CIE) requirements.
• Must possess a valid Florida Driver’s License and the ability and willingness to travel to different locations throughout Miami-Dade County as needed.
• Eligible legal court-related interpreting experience requires the following knowledge, skills and abilities:
  • College-level knowledge of English and the target language.
  • Knowledge of the specialized vocabulary used in the judicial environment. 
  • Knowledge of the types of judicial proceedings including arraignments, plea bargains, motions, and probation violation hearings and sentencings. 
  • Ability to translate and interpret fluently from and to different languages (one of the languages must be English). Required language is Creole. The language may be spoken, written or recorded. The skill level of the language(s) must include slang, vulgarities and normal idioms. 
  • Ability to work independently with minimum supervision. 
  • General computer skills using Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, Zoom, etc.).
  • Familiarity with digital sound files and media players, such as Windows Media Player.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills.

For provisionally approved candidates, the salary will be 10% below the minimum, which will be NEW SALARY: $74,212.20 (annual salary of $65,763.12 plus Competitive Area Differential pay of $704.09 per month).

Working Conditions:

• Moderate noise; business office setting.

Physical Demands:

• Work involves a significant amount of standing, walking, sitting, talking and listening; Must be able to transfer up to 10 pounds.

Licenses Certifications:

• Certification as a Certified Court Interpreter as designated by the Florida State Courts System's Office of the State Courts Administrator. Biennial renewal of certification. Compliance with all Continuing Interpreter Education (CIE) requirements. Must possess a valid Florida Driver’s License if personal vehicle will be used to travel between courthouse locations.