Court Interpreter Certified (Spanish)

Judicial-Branch-of-Arizona-in-Maricopa-Count; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 47,000 - 59,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO & sick leave

Health/dental/vision insurance

State retirement plans

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Group legal plan

Pet insurance

Job summary

Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County seeks qualified Court Interpreters to provide consecutive, simultaneous, and sight translation services across Family, Juvenile, Civil, Probate, Criminal, and Justice of the Peace cases.

Candidates must meet ACICP Tier 3 or Tier 4 credentialing requirements, with a 24-month window to credential after hire; a $3,000 sign-on bonus is offered. This is a non-exempt, unclassified position in Maricopa County.

Qualifications

• Credentialing required at Tier 3 or Tier 4 under ACICP within 24 months of hire.
• Post-secondary translation/interpretation education may substitute for up to 1 year of experience.
• Upon credentialing, eligible for a 5% pay increase within the salary range; if increase exceeds max, salary caps at max.

Responsibilities

• Interpret simultaneously and consecutively from English to Spanish and Spanish to English during court proceedings.
• Perform sight translations of court petitions, reports, and documents.
• Prepare for case-related and law-related research for interpreter appearances.
• Monitor caseload and maintain service logs and status updates.
• Schedule coordination with court divisions and stakeholders; communicate logistics.
• Translate and proofread court documents from English to Spanish and vice versa.
• Complete continuing education units (CEUs) and maintain ACICP good standing.

Skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

High School Diploma

Job description

Posting Date 09/01/26

Application Deadline Open Until Filled

Pay Range Min - Mid - Max $34.50 - $38.75 - $43.00

Job Type

Unclassified - Judicial Department

Candidates who are not credentialed at the Tier 3 or Tier 4 level of the Arizona Court Interpreter Credentialing Program (ACICP) are required to complete credentialing within 24 months of hire. Upon successfully obtaining a Tier 3 or Tier 4 level from the ACICP, the employee will be eligible for a 5% increase within the Court Interpreter salary range of $34.50 - $43.00. If the 5% increase results in a pay rate over the max of the range, the increase will be to the max of the range of $43.00 as salaries cannot extend past the maximum.

This position is Non-Exempt under the FLSA.

What We Offer

• We offer generous paid time off, paid sick leave, and 10 paid holidays!
• We have affordable medical, dental, and vision insurance, and our employees are entitled to coverage by one of several State-sponsored retirement pension plans, our employee assistance program, and wellness incentives.
• Additionally, our employees have the option of life insurance, disability, a group legal plan, and pet insurance.

Under the current guidelines for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, the Maricopa County Superior Court is a qualifying employer. Therefore, any full time Judicial Branch employee, who meets other eligibility criteria may be eligible for loan forgiveness under this program.

About the Position

***** $3,000.00 Sign-on bonus! ***** Court Interpreters provide consecutive, simultaneous and sight translation services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals in court proceedings across different areas of the law, including Family, Juvenile, Civil, Probate, Criminal and Justice of the Peace. Interpreters may interpret for litigants, witnesses, victims, parties, and other participants, providing full access to all proceedings, preserving the same tone, meaning, register and connotation of the speaker without adding, omitting or altering the content of the communication.

About the Superior Court

The Superior Court of the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County is dedicated to providing a safe, fair, and impartial forum for resolving disputes, enhancing access to our services, and providing innovative, evidenced-based practices that improve the safety of our community and ensure the public’s trust and confidence in the Judicial Branch.

The Superior Court in Maricopa County, one of the largest, most innovative, and progressive trial courts in the nation, seeks innovative individuals to join our team who will embrace our vision of excellence and the principles inherent in the Rule of Law…every person, every day, every time. We fulfill these principles through a culture that values fairness, respect, integrity, innovation, and safety.

Our mission is clear and simple: We are dedicated to providing a safe, fair and impartial forum for resolving disputes, enhancing access to our services, and providing innovative, evidence-based practices that improve the safety of our community and ensure the public’s trust and confidence in the Judicial Branch. In pursuit of this mission, our employees are reminded to keep our vision as part of their daily work—committing themselves to excellence and the principles inherent in the Rule of Law… every person, every day, every time.

Position Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma
• Experience: Two (2) years of professional interpreting experience in a position defined as an official interpreter in the English/Spanish language preferably in a municipal, general jurisdiction or United States District Court; or in a medical environment in a clinic or hospital; or experience as an escort interpreter or conference interpreter for a government official or dignitary.
• OR Combined education and experience qualifications: Post-secondary education in a Translation/Interpretation program may substitute for up to one year of experience
• Specialized training, certifications, and/or other special requirements: Effective with the implementation of the Arizona Court Interpreter Credentialing Program, courts are required to have current staff interpreters credentialed at the Tier 3 or Tier 4 level as of June 30, 2019. Any new court employee providing services hired after June 30, 2017, will be required to hold an Arizona credential at the Tier 3 or Tier 4 level. In the event a credentialed candidate is not available at the time of recruitment, the court shall require the new employee to become credentialed at the Tier 3 or Tier 4 level within 24 months of their date of hire. http://www.azcourts.gov/interpreter/Arizona-Court-Interpreter-Credentialing-Program

Our Preferred Candidate has:

• Post-graduate education in Interpreting or Translation
• Experience as a professional interpreter in a general or limited-jurisdiction court.
• Holds a Tier 3 or Tier 4 credential through the Arizona Court Interpreter Credentialing Program or equivalent credential from another state credentialing authority.

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

• Knowledge of: Written and spoken English and Spanish at an in-depth level and familiarity with the various socio-dialects of both languages.
• Must be able to demonstrate proficiency in all three modes of interpretation: simultaneous, consecutive, and sight translation.
• Skill in: Verbally communicating with others to convey information accurately and effectively.
• Time management and organizational techniques.
• Completing assignments accurately and with attention to detail.
• Ability to: Interpret and translate from Spanish to English and vice versa.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Effectively communicate both in written and verbal form.
• Work with confidential and sensitive information.
• Multitask and cope with a high volume of work in a time-critical environment.

Essential Job Tasks

• Interprets simultaneously and consecutively from English to Spanish and Spanish to English during court interviews, hearings, proceedings, and other out of court events.
• Makes sight translations during interviews, hearings, and court proceedings of documents such as court petitions, reports, notices, and agreements.
• Performs case-related and law-related research to prepare for in-court interpreting appearances.
• Monitors caseload, keeps statistics and service logs, updating department as to case status.
• Makes scheduling recommendations and maintains communication about logistics with court divisions and other stakeholders, as assigned.
• Translates and proofreads court and legal documents from English to Spanish and Spanish to English, ensuring accuracy, completeness, consistency, appropriate use of terminology, grammar, syntax, formatting and adherence to established court translation standards and style guidelines.
• Completes required Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and maintains good standing with the Arizona Court Interpreter Credentialing Program (ACICP).

Working conditions

In-person and virtual appearances before a court of law, utilizing electronic equipment to facilitate intervention among participants (judicial officers, attorneys, parties, witnesses, and other individuals, taking into account the pragmatics of a judiciary setting without disrupting the proceedings held).

Assignments will be made based upon the needs of the department and may require travel to various locations throughout Maricopa County. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may need to communicate clearly, perceive details of objects that are close by, and maintain various physical positions for extended periods, such as sitting, standing, or walking. The job may involve using hands for tasks such as typing, handling objects, or operating tools, as well as reaching with hands and arms. Occasionally, the employee may be required to move or lift objects weighing up to 20 pounds. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

Additional Information

Judicial Branch Human Resources reserves the right to move forward candidates based on the information provided directly on the application. The hiring authority will select the successful candidate based on departmental needs. Typically, successful candidates are hired at a salary rate up to the midpoint of the range, based on applicable experience, internal equity and budgetary allowances. All Judicial Branch offers of employment and continued employment are contingent upon passing a thorough background and or fingerprint check. Applicants must completely and fully answer any questions regarding felony and misdemeanor convictions including any convictions that have been expunged or set aside. Failure to include criminal history information is grounds for termination of an offer and employment. A conviction may not automatically disqualify an applicant. The Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County participates in the State Retirement systems ASRS or PSPRS. As such, mandatory membership for all full-time employees includes payroll deducted contributions consistent with each retirement system's requirements. The current contribution rate for ASRS is 12.27% and the current contribution rate for PSPRS is 5.84% and up for the defined contribution plan and 8.82% for the defined benefit plan. For more information about contributions and benefits of these plans visit https://www.azasrs.gov/ or https://www.psprs.com/corrections-officer/.

The Judicial Branch in Maricopa County is an EEO/ADA Reasonable Accommodation Employer.