Rule 10.51 of the California Rules of Court states that the charge of the Court Interpreters Advisory Panel is to assist the Judicial Council with performing its duties under
Government Code sections 68560 through 68566, and to promote access to spoken-language interpreters and interpreters for deaf and hearing-impaired persons. To carry out this charge, the committee reviews and makes recommendations to the council on:
- Interpreter use and need in court proceedings;
- The certification, registration, testing, recruiting, training, continuing education and professional conduct of court interpreters; and,
- The findings of the language need and interpreter use study for interpreters in California court proceedings that is conducted by the council every five years pursuant to Government Code section 68563.
May of 1978, after a comprehensive survey of the language needs of California citizens, the enactment of AB 2400 made California the first state to mandate court interpreter services and testing of interpreter skills and competency. In January 1993, the Legislature required the council to certify and register court interpreters and adopt standards and requirements for interpreter education. (Sen. Bill 1304; Stats. 1992, ch. 770.) At the same time, the Legislature also created the court interpreters' fund, and mandated data collection and periodic study of language use and interpreter need in California.
As a result of SB 1304, the Chief Justice appointed the Court Interpreters Advisory Panel as a new Judicial Council standing advisory committee. The Court Interpreters Advisory Panel is unique in that a majority of the voting members must be court interpreters.
California has the largest pool of certified and registered interpreters in the country. There are over 1,700 certified and or registered interpreters currently on the council's Master List of Certified Court Interpreters and Registered Interpreters.
