Hawaii's Judiciary has announced the opening of registration for its 2026 Court Interpreter Orientation Workshops, seeking multilingual individuals to serve the state's diverse communities. These two-day workshops, an essential step for those aspiring to become court interpreters, have been slated for various dates and locations across the state, including Hilo, Maui, Kauaʻi, and Oʻahu. According to the judiciary's website, the sessions will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the specified dates.
Interested participants can find registration forms on the Judiciary’s website or obtain them through contact with the Office on Equality and Access to the Courts. The modest registration fee of $25 is made possible due to the financial backing from the State Office of Language Access. Despite the fact that the workshops are spread across the islands, each aspiring interpreter looking to work within the legal system must cross the hurdles of passing a written English proficiency exam, a court interpreter ethics exam, and a criminal background check to become a certified court interpreter.
The role of a court interpreter is crucial in ensuring that individuals with limited English proficiency are not denied access to justice. Acting as independent contractors, not as Judiciary employees, court interpreters take on the responsibility to bridge the language gap within court proceedings. They are compensated based on their performance on written and oral exams, with hourly rates ranging from $35 to $100, and a minimum guarantee of a two-hour payment, as indicated in the judiciary's announcement.
The upcoming workshops are scheduled as follows: February 19–20 at Hilo's Hale Kaulike, February 25–26 at UH Maui College, March 10–11 at Puʻuhonua Kaulike on Kauaʻi, March 14–15 and March 21–22 at Aliʻiōlani Hale on Oʻahu, and March 31–April 1 at Kona's Keahuolū Courthouse.
