Colorado

Colorado has the “Legal Auxiliary Services program, ” which provides qualified interpreters and captioners for all state court-related proceedings (including mediation and evaluations), jury duty, pretrial services, probation, and court-ordered treatment or classes.” This program is singular in the nation. 

The program employs a total of 41 full-time interpreters and 9 live captioners.

To be an interpreter, you must hold a Level 1 or 2 legal designation from the state. A level one designation includes “a current Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) Specialist Certificate: Legal (SC:L) or Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) Court Interpreter Certification” if you are a Certified Deaf Interpreter you must hold a “ RID Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) or BEI Intermediary Levels IV or V certification and has passed the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) written exam. CDIs also must have completed at least 65 hours of training specific to legal interpreting and 50 hours of mentoring.” 

In addition to covering all state proceedings, including mediation and evaluation, the program provides “lists of court-qualified providers available to law enforcement and prosecutors, who are required to utilize legal-credentialed providers for effective communication during arrests and questioning of victims and witnesses.”