Mississippi Courts Seek Bilingual Speakers for Interpreter Training

JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts is seeking bilingual speakers who wish to train and qualify as credentialed court interpreters.  An Ethics and Skill Building Seminar will be held March 13-14 at the Gartin Justice Building, 450 High Street in Jackson. The seminar registration deadline is March 6.

Also, a continuing education seminar for currently certified or registered court interpreters is scheduled for March 12 in Jackson. The deadline to register for the continuing education program is March 5.

A legislative appropriation to the Administrative Office of Courts Court Interpreter Credentialing Program allows the programs to be offered at no cost to participants. 

First time candidates exploring the possibility of court interpreting must already be fluent in English and a second language and must be willing to develop an understanding of legal terms and court proceedings. Participation in the Ethics and Skill Building Seminar is the first step in the Mississippi Court Interpreter Credentialing Program which trains, tests and qualifies individuals who wish to serve as court interpreters. The seminar will introduce the candidates to requirements for foreign language interpreting in court settings. The seminar will cover the role of the court interpreter, ethical requirements, modes of interpretation and credentialing requirements.

The registration form for the Ethics and Skill Building Seminar is at this link.

Credentialed court interpreters are required to complete 12 hours of continuing education credits each year to remain on the Certified and Registered Court Interpreter Rosters. For the first time, the Mississippi Court Interpreter Credentialing Program is offering a free, in person seminar for Mississippi certified and registered interpreters to receive 8 hours of continuing education credits on March 12, 2025.  The registration  form can be found at this link.

Deenie Miller, Director of Language Access, said, “This is a wonderful opportunity for our certified and registered court interpreters.  They work so hard to provide the vital service of language access to our Mississippi communities that have limited-English proficiency.  This is a small way to thank them for their important work.” 

The 2023 Mississippi Legislature revised laws regarding language interpreters to provide broader language access assistance for people of limited English proficiency.  The 2023 law mandates court appointment of a qualified interpreter in all cases, criminal and civil, at no cost to the limited English proficient participant in litigation, with the cost borne by the county or municipality. Revisions to the statutes clarified that limited English proficient individuals are entitled to use an interpreter in any instance arising out of or pertaining to the individual’s involvement in litigation. See Miss. Code Ann. Section 9-21-73 (4).

For more information, contact Deenie Miller, Director of Language Access at deenie.miller@courts.ms.gov.