Home/ Career Paths / Specialization / Legal Interpreting

Interpreting in the legal setting offers the promise of a challenging and distinguished career or area of specialization.  Federal, state, and local courts throughout the nation are facing a severe shortage of qualified, professionally trained ASL-English interpreters to work within both criminal and civil court proceedings.  Qualified interpreters are also in high demand in law enforcement, court-related social service agencies, and for a wide range of administrative hearings.  Interpreters working in this setting are those who have first achieved a high degree of generalist interpreting competence and certification, followed by further study and supervised work experience in a wide range of legal settings.  For those who wish to specialize in the legal setting, advanced certification is also available and encouraged.

Interpreters working in the legal setting find tremendous satisfaction in knowing that their services contribute to someone gaining important access to the legal system.  Legal interpreting provides the opportunity to do work that is aligned with the deeply held values of fairness and equality. It may involve interpreting for someone who has been wrongly denied some basic human right or services, or a child who has been neglected, or an abused women seeking protection from the courts, or wrongfully evicted tenants, or an AIDS patient denied health benefits, or any number of other life circumstances that require individuals to secure legal counsel and assistance.  Regardless of the circumstance, the opportunity to contribute to communication access in a highly competent manner is exceptional. As well, the presence of positive work variables, such as intellectual challenge and diversity of context, is an important benefit of working in this setting.