Search for an interpreter
Courts, attorneys, law enforcement, and public and private agencies seeking legally-trained interpreters should search for the most highly qualified person and use certified interpreters first whenever available. Wisconsin has certified interpreters in the following languages: American Sign Language, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Polish, and Russian. Scroll down for links to other states' rosters. Courts should always inquire with interpreters about their credentials when hiring them.
Explanation of roster and levels
The Court Interpreter Program (CIP) has general requirements that spoken and sign language interpreters must meet in order to appear on the roster. They include participation in the CIP's 2-day orientation; successful completion of a character and fitness screening; and compliance with continuing education and practice requirements. In addition to fulfilling these basic requirements, interpreters listed on the roster have passed or attained the requisite scores on various written and oral exams specific to their language. Out-of-state interpreters who appear on the roster may be listed based upon reciprocity with the CIP.
A "[Z]" after an interpreter's name means he or she has indicated they are capable of providing remote interpreting services using Zoom. Remote interpreting via audio and video means is allowed by state statute for proceedings other than trial.
Spoken language interpreters: Spanish
Certified: A Certified interpreter holds the highest credential for court interpreting offered by the Director of State Courts. This interpreter has passed an oral performance examination developed by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) that measures an individual's ability to interpret in the three modes of interpreting: Sight Translation, Consecutive, and Simultaneous. This level of interpreter should always be the first choice for court interpreting.
Note: A Spanish interpreter whose name is marked with an asterisk "*" indicates he or she is also federally certified with the US Administrative Office of the Courts.
Provisional: A Provisional interpreter has scored 65% or higher on two out of three parts of the oral performance examination developed by the NCSC and may have passed one or two parts of the test. This level of interpreter should be the choice for court interpreting if a certified interpreter is not available.
Spoken language interpreters: Languages other than Spanish (LOTS)
Certified: A Certified interpreter holds the highest credential for court interpreting offered by the Director of State Courts. This interpreter has passed an oral performance examination developed by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) that measures an individual's ability to interpret in the three modes of interpreting: Sight Translation, Consecutive, and Simultaneous. This level of interpreter should always be the first choice for court interpreting.
Provisional: A Provisional interpreter has scored 65% or higher on two out of three parts of the oral performance examination developed by the NCSC and may have passed one or two parts of the test. This level of interpreter should be the choice for court interpreting if a Certified interpreter is not available.
Provisional B: A Provisional-B interpreter has scored 55% or higher on two out of three parts of the oral performance examination developed by the NCSC. This level of interpreter should be the choice for court interpreting if neither a Certified nor Provisional interpreter is available.
Authorized: This level of interpreter is for a language* where an oral performance examination developed by the NCSC is not available and therefore certification is not available. An Authorized interpreter has achieved a Superior level on an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and should be the first choice for court interpreting.
Sign language interpreters: Hearing
Certified: A Certified interpreter holds a Special Certificate: Legal (SC:L) from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID); Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) Court Interpreter Certification (CIC); or other credential deemed to be an equivalent of RID's SC:L. This level of interpreter should always be the first choice for court interpreting.
Provisional: A Provisional interpreter may hold any of the following generalist certification from RID such as NIC, NIC-Master, NIC-Advanced, CSC, or CI/CT; National Association of the Deaf (NAD) IV or V certification; or a BEI Advanced or Master certificate. This level of interpreter should be the choice for court interpreting if a Certified interpreter is not available.
Sign language interpreters: Deaf or hard of hearing
Certified: A Certified interpreter may hold any of the following certificates from RID such as an SC:L, Conditional Legal Interpreting Permit-Relay (CLIP-R), or Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI); BEI CIC; or other credential deemed to be an equivalent of RID's SC:L, CLIP-R, or CDI. This level of interpreter should always be the first choice for court interpreting.
Provisional: A Provisional interpreter has passed the NCSC court interpreter written examination and met other practice and observations requirements.
Wis. Stat. §440.032 requires all hearing and deaf sign language interpreters who provide services for compensation to hold a license by the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional (DSPS).
Disciplinary procedure
Interpreters listed on the roster are subject to discipline from the Director of State Courts Office for ethical violations. For information on filing a complaint against an interpreter, see the services for the public section.
Roster of interpreters in other states
The following are all external links.
Minnesota Roster of Interpreters
Certified interpreters in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, Russian, Vietnamese, Mandarin, French, Portuguese, and Lao
Washington Roster of Interpreters
Certified interpreters in Spanish, Russian, Korean, Mandarin, French, Vietnamese, Bosnian Serbian Croatian (BSC), Khmer, Lao, Cantonese, and Arabic
Oregon Roster of Interpreters
Certified interpreters in ASL, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, and Vietnamese