Legal Interpreting Guidelines in New Jersey

Requirements for Certified Interpreters in New Jersey

New Jersey state authorities periodically offer exams, both written and oral, for certification based on the guidelines of the Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification.

The state of New Jersey also accepts the Spanish certification exam administered by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (federal certification), and the NCSC exam administered by members of the Council of Language Access Coordinators (CLAC) so long as the exam taken was a NCSC exam which was given after the state became a member of CLAC or is otherwise equivalent. New Jersey does not accept any other test results.

New Jersey offers certification in 20 languages:

Classification of Interpreters in New Jersey

The New Jersey Judicial Department defines legal interpreters in the following three ways:

• Level 3: Master: Interpreters at this level interpret complex legal proceedings and translate forms, letters and other court-related documents.

• Level 2: Journeyman: Interpreters at this level interpret legal proceedings and translate forms, letters and other court-related documents.

• Level 1: Conditionally Approved/Trainee: Interpreters at this level interpret proceedings of limited legal significance or limited linguistic complexity and prepare draft translations of forms, letters and other court-related documents.

Not all venues in New Jersey require certified interpreters. However, for cases requiring an interpreter in a language for which there are certification exams, then a certified interpreter is required. Please consult with Legal Language Services for the rules pertaining to your specific venue and language.

Common Languages Spoken in New Jersey

According to a recent American Community Survey, approximately 28.69% of the New Jersey population speaks a language other than English.

What’s more, more than 78% of the non-English speaking population in New Jersey speaks one of the following 10 languages:

Other languages spoken in New Jersey include Russian, French Creole, French, German, Urdu, Kru/Ibo/Yoruba, Greek, Telugu, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Mandarin, Tamil, Bengali, Turkish, Japanese, Panjabi, Ukrainian and Cantonese.

*This table was created based on respondents’ written answers, the majority of whom wrote “Chinese” while others specified “Cantonese” or “Mandarin.”

Judicial Vicinages in New Jersey

Legal interpreting requirements can vary by district in New Jersey. This state has 22 judicial vicinages, or districts, that encompass 21 counties:

Call Legal Language Services at 1-800-788-0450 to find New Jersey interpreters who meet state interpreting rules for courtroom trials, hearings, depositions, arbitrations and other legal proceedings.

Please Note

The content provided on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The information about legal interpreting guidelines in New Jersey is believed to be accurate at the time of posting; however, Legal Language Services is not responsible for any errors or omissions.