When requesting the services of a court certified interpreter, directly or through a language service provider, get ready to provide the following:

• Case name
• Case number
• Location of proceeding
• Language required
• A time estimate
• The subject of the proceeding
• A copy of the deposition notice or proceeding

You must be as specific as possible when an interpreter has been secured to provide interpreting services for you. The following is required by California Government Code §68560 to be stated on the record:

• Name of the interpreter and language
• Court Certification* Number and ID issued by the State Court or Federal Court must be shown to the legal representatives in the proceeding.

Most certified court interpreters are experienced in Personal Injury, Workers’ Compensation, and Labor and Wage cases. Additional information would be greatly appreciated for more complex subjects, such as:

• Patent Infringement
• Defective Product Liability Claim
• Wrongful Death

Knowing the subject matter will allow the interpreter to research terminology ahead of time and be prepared to do the best possible job.

Important reminder: Interpreters are contractors; therefore they schedule assignments for the AM/PM format, and subsequently must know the duration of the proceeding. If you believe the assignment will take longer than three hours then book an interpreter for the entire day. This saves you money in the long run and precludes rescheduling the proceeding for another day in the event another replacement cannot be located. This avoids frustration for all parties involved if an interpreter needs to leave because of a prior commitment.

* These are the only Certified Languages available in CA: Arabic, Eastern Armenian, Cantonese, Korean, Khmer, Mandarin, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. There are many other registered languages available.