A. Every applicant who seeks to be examined for enrollment as a certified or registered spoken language courtroom interpreter shall prove to the satisfaction of the State Board of Examiners of Courtroom Interpreters that he or she:

1. Is of legal age;

2. Meets the requisite standards of ethical fitness as established by the Board pursuant to the recommendation of the State Ethics Commission; and

3. Has at least a high school education or its equivalent.

B. The Board shall promulgate rules establishing interpreter credentialing standards and requiring the use of oral and written interpreter examinations consistent with nationally recognized state court interpreter certification standards including but not limited to those developed through the National Center for State Courts language access programs. Candidates shall be required to attend a training program approved by the Board, and shall be required to establish their proficiency in English and in the foreign language through the written and oral examinations required by the Board.

1. A candidate seeking to become a registered courtroom interpreter shall:

a.complete a courtroom interpreter orientation program conducted or sponsored by the Board which shall educate the candidate about interpreting in the Oklahoma courts, interpreter skills development, courtroom procedure and decorum, legal terminology, methods and modes of interpretation and interpreter ethics and professionalism,

b.successfully pass the court interpreter Written English Examination approved by the Board with a score of eighty percent (80%) or better in order to demonstrate the candidate's knowledge of three areas central to the work of a court interpreter (1) the English language including language comprehension, vocabulary, synonyms, antonyms and idioms; (2) court-related terms and usage including legal terminology and court procedures; and (3) interpreter ethics and professional conduct,

c.establish basic proficiency in the foreign language by successfully passing either an oral proficiency interview or a written translation examination for the foreign language being tested, as specified by the Board, and

d.agree in writing to be bound by the Code of Professional Responsibility for Courtroom Interpreters in Oklahoma.

2. A candidate seeking to become a certified courtroom interpreter shall:

a.be currently enrolled as a registered courtroom interpreter in this state in accordance with the Board's rules and examination standards, and

b.successfully pass the court interpreter oral examination authorized by the Board for the language being certified with an overall score of seventy percent (70%) or better in each of the sections of the exam in order to demonstrate the candidate possesses the requisite degree of skill and ability in all three modes of interpreting: simultaneous interpreting, consecutive interpreting and sight translation.

3. The Board may adjust the examinations and the scores required to pass each of the interpreter examinations in this state in order to maintain equivalency with the nationally recognized interpreter credentialing standards and maximize the reciprocity between Oklahoma's interpreter credentialing program and other state and national credentialing programs. For languages in which a recognized three-part oral exam is unavailable, the Board may authorize an abbreviated oral examination from the National Center for State Courts, or other approved entity, if one is available. If no abbreviated oral examination is available, the Board may, at its discretion, recognize other oral proficiency examinations or interviews on a per-language basis.

C. An applicant who is academically dishonest when taking any authorized examination is disqualified and may not take the examination again until five (5) years have elapsed from the date of the examination at which the applicant is disqualified.

D. All applicants who satisfy the credentialing requirements set forth in this section and in the Board's rules and have otherwise been found and approved by the Board to be fit and proper persons shall be recommended by the Board to the Supreme Court for official enrollment as certified or registered courtroom interpreters. Any individual enrolled as a certified or registered courtroom interpreter is qualified to engage in the translation of written text and the interpretation of spoken words in the courts of this state.

E. In district court proceedings, the court shall endeavor to obtain the services of a courtroom interpreter with the highest available level of credential prior to accepting services of an interpreter with lesser credential and skill, pursuant to the requirements set forth in the Rules of the Supreme Court and Section 1710 of this title.

F. In determining whether an applicant meets the requisite standards of ethical fitness as set forth in this section, the Board is authorized to conduct a criminal history record check including but not limited to a criminal history record check through the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), or a national criminal history record check through the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) pursuant to Section 150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes or other applicable statute. This paragraph is specifically intended to provide the statutory authority required by the OSBI and FBI to provide criminal history background check services and information to the Board for this purpose. Applicants shall furnish all releases, authorizations, fingerprints or other items necessary to enable the Board to conduct the background check. The Board shall charge the applicant a fee in an amount approved by the Supreme Court for the background check.

G. The Board may maintain a registry of certified interpreters for the deaf and hard-of-hearing to serve as qualified legal interpreters pursuant to the provisions of Section 2408 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes. Applicants shall establish to the satisfaction of the Board that they hold at least one of the sign language interpreting credentials which the Board deems appropriate for interpreting in the courts of this state, and shall satisfy the registration requirements as set forth in the rules of the Board.

Added by Laws 2005, c. 427, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2005. Amended by Laws 2019, c. 288, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2019.