Iowa Ct. R. 47.6

47.6(1) Management. State court administration will maintain and publish the Iowa roster of

court interpreters and may determine the order in which interpreters must complete the testing

and training requirements in rule 47.4 to qualify for the roster. State court administration may

remove an interpreter from the roster or change an interpreter’s classification on the roster if a

roster interpreter takes or retakes the oral language certification exam and achieves a score on one

or more parts of the exam that is less than the minimum scores required to be on the roster. State

court administration may also require a roster interpreter to retake the oral language interpreter

certification exam if state court administration learns through an investigation that the interpreter

failed to interpret at a level of competency comparable to the minimum language proficiency

qualifications for being on the roster in rule 47.6(2)(d).

47.6(2) Testing and training requirements. Beginning July 1, 2019, to be included on the

roster, an interpreter must meet the qualifications in rule 47.4 and the following requirements:

a. Ethics exam. All interpreters must take a written exam on the Code of Professional Conduct

for Court Interpreters and achieve a score of at least 75 percent correct, unless the interpreter has

taken the same or a similar exam in another state within the past five years and achieved a score

of at least 75 percent correct.

b. Written exam approved by the NCSC. Interpreters must achieve a score of at least 80 percent

correct on a written exam for court interpreters that the National Center for State Courts (NCSC)

has approved and that includes at least the following areas: general English vocabulary, legal

terminology, and legal procedures. This requirement may be waived by state court administration

if the interpreter has taken the same test in Iowa or another jurisdiction within the past five years,

achieved a score of 80 percent correct, and has regularly provided court interpreter services each

year since taking the exam.

c. Court interpreter orientation program. An interpreter must complete the court interpreter

orientation program approved by state court administration. State court administration may waive

this requirement for an interpreter who has completed a similar training program in another

jurisdiction, and who has regularly provided court interpreter services each year since completing

that program.

d. Oral interpretation exam.

(1) An interpreter of a language for which one of the testing organizations identified in rule

47.4(1) offers a court interpreter certification exam must take one of the exams and achieve a

score of at least 55 percent correct on each of the three parts of the exam (sight, consecutive, and

simultaneous interpretation).

(2) An interpreter of a language for which the NCSC does not offer a court interpreter

certification exam must take the ALTA Language Services or the American Council on the

Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) oral proficiency interview (speaking and listening)

exam in English and the interpreter’s other language. The interpreter must achieve a score of at

least 11 (on a scale of 12) for the interpreter’s other language and at least an advanced rating for

the English exam.

47.6(3) Retaking the court interpreter written and oral interpretation exams.

a. Written multiple-choice exams. An interpreter may retake a written multiple-choice exam

once in a six-month period. When there are multiple versions of a written exam, state court

administration will rotate the exam versions.

b. Oral language certification exams state court administration conducts. For oral language

certification exams state court administration conducts, an interpreter may retake the same

version of an exam once in a 12-month period. When there are multiple versions of the oral

language certification exam, an interpreter must wait six months before taking a different version

of the exam.

c. Oral language certification exams the Federal Court Interpreter Certification Program

conducts. Interpreters taking oral language certification exams the Federal Court Interpreter

Certification Program conducts must comply with the rules established by the program regarding

the retaking of the exams.

d. ALTA Language Services oral proficiency interview (speaking and listening) exam. An

interpreter may retake an ALTA Language Services oral proficiency exam only once in a six-month period.