Certification Renewal and Continuing Education (CEUs)

For Rostered Interpreters

In order to maintain interpreter status, all rostered interpreters must renew their accreditation every two years from the date of their initial roster placement.

Purpose

Court interpreters must meet high standards of interpreting skill and accuracy (in all three modes of interpretation), ethical knowledge, and professionalism in order to perform their responsibilities as an individual of exceptional trust in the court room. The integrity of the administration of justice and the efficiency of court proceedings frequently depend heavily on the interpreter.

Every 2 years (starting from certification/conditional approval), rostered PA Court Interpreters will renew their certification with the PA ICP by submitting proof of Continuing Education, and must affirm that they will uphold to the highest standard the Pennsylvania Rules of Conduct and Professional Responsibility for Judiciary Interpreters.

To help PA’s Roster of Court Interpreters stay engaged in the field of court interpreting, the ICP has created a Resource page and an Approved Provider list, below, where interpreters can find seminars, professional conferences, workshops, and more, designed to sharpen their skills in the modes of interpretation support their professional careers as court/legal interpreters.

• Pre-Approved Providers

What are the renewal requirements?

Once they are placed on the Roster, interpreters must:

• Complete sixteen (16) continuing education units (CEU) within the two-year compliance period with at least 3 credits in Ethics
• Be in good standing with the program
• Pass a new background check
• Pay the $30 renewal fee
• Be signed up for the PA Interpreter Dashboard (PAID)

Any in-person or live online courses led by an instructor or trainer are eligible for credit at the rate of one (1) CEU per contact hour. The maximum number of credits that will be approved for a single in-person or live online training event is twelve (12), with the exception of a full college course on an approved topic, which may be approved for up to sixteen (16) CEUs. Up to three (3) CEUs will be approved for training related to medical interpreting.

Archived, recorded and self-study trainings will not be approved.

What are approved topics?

The following subject areas are recommended for CEU credit:

• Professional conduct and responsibility (ethics)
• Courts, law, legal system, government institutions
• Business and professional development
• Technical skills related to interpreting and translation

Interpreters should refer to the approved providers list to find CEUs. Activities which are not listed, and requests for approval for a college course, must be approved in advance by submitting the Continued Education Approval Request Form to the Program Administrator. Generally, requests for approval must be submitted at least 30 days before the scheduled event.

Does anything else count for CEUs?

Upon request for consideration, the following activities may be approved for CEUs:

• Taking academic courses in accredited colleges and universities in areas relevant to court and legal interpreting and language skills
• Presenting as faculty or teach in courses, workshops or seminars on topics related to interpreting such as skill-building, ethics, language and professional issues
• Volunteering their interpreting and language skills for approved charities
• Mentoring a prospective PA Court Interpreter (Interested mentors/mentees should contact the ICP for information before pursuing this)

For CEU Providers: Training providers can contact ICP for approval of their events. Approved providers will be listed in the program's Resources page. Please submit the Provider Continuing Education Approval Request Form with all supporting documentation as listed on the form, and allow a minimum of thirty (30) days for review and approval.

What is the Renewal Procedure?

1. Ninety (90) and thirty (30) days before the renewal dateline, the ICP will send a certification renewal reminder.

2. No later than sixty (60) days before the renewal dateline interpreters must upload the CEU Compliance Form and attach proof of attendance of all sixteen (16) CEUs to the Pennsylvania Interpreter’s Dashboard (PAID). Then, email the ICP that your submission is complete and ready to review.

Suitable proof of attendance includes certificates of successful completion (must contain the name of the participant and number of CEU hours) and official transcripts from accredited colleges and universities. A signature on a sign-in sheet and/or proof of payment for an educational activity are not acceptable as proof of attendance. Sign language interpreters may submit a copy of their RID transcript as proof of attendance.

If you are using PAID to submit your CEUs and have accumulated more than 16 CEUs required for renewal, you can request a “Roll-over” of up to 6 CEUs to the next report period. The “Roll-over” feature is only available to PAID users. 

For more information about the Dashboard, visit this page.  

If the interpreter cannot use Dashboard for any reason, contact InterpreterProgram@pacourts.us .

3. Upon approval of the CEU Compliance Form and attached proof of attendance for each workshop, the ICP will mail the renewal package to the interpreter including:

    a. Authorization of Information form
    b. Interpreter's Oath
    c. Background Check form

Note: AOPC uses its own background check process and does not accept any other previously completed background investigations. AOPC will not share your background check results with any other organization.

   d. Additional informational documents to keep

4. The interpreter must complete the renewal forms and pay a renewal fee of $30.  

Note: $30 renewal fee is waived for PA courts’ staff interpreters.

5. Upon receipt of the completed renewal forms and satisfactory completion of background check, the ICP will finalize the interpreter’s renewal, publish their updated information in the roster, and send a Certificate and ID with their next CEU deadline.

Incompliance with CEUs

Interpreters will receive automated renewal reminders about ninety (90) and thirty (30) days before the end of the compliance period. Interpreters will also receive automated warnings when they are thirty (30) and ninety (90) days past due. The final warning will notify about likely removal from PA roster, unless the ICP is contacted within one (1) week of receiving the reminder to discuss obtaining the required CEUs.

Interpreters may be removed from the roster for CEU incompliance, until or unless all CEU requirements are fulfilled.

 An interpreter who would like to be reinstated to the Roster must complete sixteen (16) CEU hours for each two-year period they were non-compliant.

Quick References

To submit your CEUs for approval, please attach and include this form Continuing Education Compliance Reporting Form with at least the first page completed.

• Instructions on uploading your CEUs to PAID

To request approval for a CEU which was not pre-approved (as an attendee), download and submit this form Continuing Education Approval Request Form

To request approval for CEUs as a provider, use this form Provider Continuing Education Approval Request Form