Maine Court Interpreter Program
Maine Judicial Branch maintains a list of qualified court interpreters for use by the court when dealing with people with limited English proficiency.
Note: Due to the sufficient number of Spanish interpreters Maine Judicial Branch is no longer accepting applications from Spanish-speaking applicants.
To become a Tier One Court Interpreter in Maine you need to:
- Submit Application for Maine Court Interpreter Work
- Prepare for and pass Court Interpreter Written Exam with a score of at least 70%
- Pass Oral Proficency Interview in non-English language with a rating of at least "Advanced Mid"
- Attend 12-hour court interpreter orientation
To become a Tier Two Court Interpreter in Maine you need to:
- Pass Court Interpreter Written Exam with a score of 80% or higher
- Complete 4-days Advanced Legal Interpreter Training
- Demonstrate at least 50 hours of legal interpreting experience or 80 hours of documented observation of court interpreting
- Have at least a two-year college degree
Tier Three activities are not implemented yet.
For additional information, check the following documents:
Fall 2011 Testing and Training Schedule
- Study Session for Court Interpreter Written Exam (optional)
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 2, 2011; 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: United Way of Greater Portland, One Canal Plaza, Suite 300, Portland. Free parking is not available. For a listing of parking garages, click here.
Fee: None
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 16; 10:00 am - 12:15 pm
Location: United Way of Greater Portland, One Canal Plaza, Suite 300, Portland. Free parking is not available. For a listing of parking garages, click here.
Fee: $10
Registration deadline: Monday, November 14
- Oral Proficency Interview in non-English language (only for those who pass the written test)
Date & Time: Scheduled individually
Location: United Way of Greater Portland, One Canal Plaza, Suite 300, Portland.
Fee: $20
- 12-hour Court Interpreter Orientation (only for those who pass the tests)
Date & Time: May 2012; Date TBD
Location: United Way of Greater Portland, One Canal Plaza, Suite 300, Portland.
Fee: $20
- 4-days Advanced Court Interpreter Training (for Tier Two)
Date & Time: May 2012; Date TBD
Location: United Way of Greater Portland, One Canal Plaza, Suite 300, Portland
Fee: $100
How to Register for the Study Session and/or the Written Exam:
Submit Application for Maine Court Interpreter Work and $10 fee for the written exam to Dolgormaa Hersom to:
Language Access for New Americans (LANA)
United Way of Greater Portland
One Canal Plaza, Suite 300P.O. Box 15200
Portland, ME 04112-5200
Phone: 207.874.1000 ext. 2311
Fax: 207.874.1007
E-mail: dhersom@unitedwaygp.org
Trainers:
Agustín Servín de la Mora is the President of the Florida Institute of Interpretation and Translation. He was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, and has been a professional interpreter for the last twenty-two years, both as a free-lance and staff interpreter.
Mr. de la Mora is one of the Supervisor Raters in the United States for the National Center for State Courts and has been a Lead Rater for the federal and consortium oral exams for court interpreters.
He has been the Lead Interpreter for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, is a member of the Florida Court Interpreter Certification Board and a voting member of the Technical Committee of the National Consortium for Interpreter Certification. Mr. de la Mora is certified by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, as a Federally Certified Court Interpreter. He is also a Certified Court interpreter by the Florida Court Interpreter Certification Board. He has been a consultant for the Administrative Offices of the State Courts, conducting orientation seminars and advanced skills workshops for interpreters in Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington and Wisconsin. As a recognized professional in his field he has been featured as a speaker and presenter in several national conventions, including the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators, the American Translators Association and the National Association of State Court Administrators.
E-Mail: delamora.agustin@gmail.com
Frank D’Alessandro is the Regional Managing Attorney for Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Inc., a statewide provider of legal services to low-income people in Maine. For the last twenty years, Frank has represented clients in a variety of civil legal settings, from administrative hearings through federal appellate court. Frank has an expertise on legal issues impacting low-income citizens in Maine including housing, public benefits, health care, special education, and family law. In the past two years, Frank has provided direct representation to clients who are facing foreclosure or who have been victims of predatory lending as part of Pine Tree's foreclosure project. In addition, Frank has developed an expertise in serving Limited English Proficiency clients, primarily as a result of his work with the Refugee Resettlement Community in Portland and Lewiston Maine and has helped develop Pine Tree’s outreach efforts to this community, has authored and presented training events for language interpreters, and has served on a task force which developed an LEP policy for the State of Maine Worker’s Compensation Commission. In addition to direct representation of clients, Frank has written client education materials, provided trainings to both professionals working with low-income consumers and the consumers themselves, testified before the State Legislature, and co-authored “A Voice for Low-Income Children.”
E-mail: frank@ptla.org
If you have any questions, please e-mail or call 207.874.1000 ext. 2311.