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May 1, 2026
The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts is seeking bilingual speakers who wish to train and qualify as credentialed court interpreters.
An Orientation, Ethics and Skill Building Seminar will be held June 16-17 at the Gartin Justice Building, 450 High Street in Jackson. The seminar registration deadline is June 9. A registration form is at this link:
https://courts.ms.gov/aoc/courtinterpreter/Registration%20Form%20-%20Seminar%20-%20June%202026.pdf.
The two-day Orientation, Ethics and Skill Building Seminar is free to first-time participants. A $150 fee will be charged for anyone repeating the seminar. The Orientation is the first mandatory step in the credentialing program.
An online on-demand orientation program is available for $150 at this link:
https://de-la-mora-training.thinkific.com/courses/spor25-01-mississippi-orientation.
Also, a one-day continuing education workshop for currently certified or registered court interpreters is scheduled for June 15 in Jackson. This course is free for court interpreters in good standing listed on the Mississippi Roster of Court Interpreters. The deadline to register for the continuing education program is June 8.
Credentialed court interpreters are required to complete 12 hours of continuing education credits each year to remain on the Certified and Registered Court Interpreter Rosters. The workshop will provide eight hours of the annual 12-hour requirement. The continuing education registration form is at this link:
First time candidates exploring the possibility of court interpreting must already be fluent in English and a second language and must be willing to develop an understanding of legal terms and court proceedings. Participation in the Orientation, Ethics and Skill Building Seminar is the first step in the Mississippi Court Interpreter Credentialing Program which trains, tests and qualifies individuals who wish to serve as court interpreters. The seminar will introduce the candidates to requirements for foreign language interpreting in court settings. The seminar will cover the role of the court interpreter, ethical requirements, modes of interpretation and credentialing requirements.
Director of Language Access Deenie Miller said, “Court interpreters play a vital role in access to justice for limited English proficient individuals. The demand for credentialed court interpreters continues to increase. We are excited about providing this opportunity and hope many bilingual individuals are able to participate.”
The 2023 Mississippi Legislature revised laws regarding language interpreters to provide broader language access assistance for people of limited English proficiency. The 2023 law mandates court appointment of a qualified interpreter in all cases, criminal and civil, at no cost to the limited English proficient participant in litigation, with the cost borne by the county or municipality. Revisions to the statutes clarified that limited English proficient individuals are entitled to use an interpreter in any instance arising out of or pertaining to the individual’s involvement in litigation. See Miss. Code Ann. Section 9-21-73 (4).
For more information, contact Deenie Miller, Director of Language Access at deenie.miller@courts.ms.gov.
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