Foreign Language Interpreter – Spanish

Please ensure that your application is submitted in response to the job posting no later than May 31, 2024!

ABOUT FRANKLIN COUNTY MUNICIPAL COURT
The Franklin County Municipal Court is the largest and busiest municipal court in the State of Ohio. The Court has fourteen judges in the General Division and one judge in the Environmental Division. Judges preside over civil, criminal, and traffic cases and conduct both jury and court trials. The Court’s jurisdiction includes traffic cases, misdemeanor criminal cases, and civil cases where the amount at issue is $15,000 or less. The Environmental Division has exclusive jurisdiction to enforce local codes and regulations affecting real property, such as fire and building codes. The geographic jurisdiction of the Court is all of Franklin County and those portions of the City of Columbus that extend beyond the boundaries of Franklin County. Despite its jurisdiction and name, the Franklin County Municipal Court is the judicial branch of the City of Columbus government.

JOB PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW

The Franklin County Municipal Court employs Foreign Language Interpreters to provide interpreting and translating services to Limited English-speaking persons. Foreign Language Interpreters assist the judges, magistrates, attorneys, court employees, and others interpreting their communications with Limited English-speaking defendants, victims, witnesses, jurors, family members, and others having business before the Court.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION:

1. Perform three types of court interpreting: simultaneous, consecutive, and sight interpreting.
2. Provide spoken Foreign Language interpretation services to the Court.
3. Sight Interpret the Foreign Language or English documents as required during court proceedings, interviews, and other court-related communicative events.
4. Assist the Court with interpretation of communication with Limited English-speaking defendants, victims, witnesses, jurors, and other individuals as necessary following court interpreter ethics.
5. Provide Foreign Language translation services to the Court.
6. Maintain the confidentiality of conversations that are of a confidential nature and serve impartially as required by court interpreter ethics.
7. Perform interpreter duties according to established standards and in an accurate, impartial manner, and abide by any applicable rules or standards for interpreters adopted by the Supreme Court of Ohio.
8. Interpret in a manner that includes everything that is said, preserves the tone and level of language, and neither changes nor adds anything to what is said.
9. Attend ongoing training to improve and maintain Foreign Language interpreter skills, as well as ongoing training regarding court interpreter standards of ethics and conduct, including any applicable rules or standards for interpreters adopted by the Supreme Court of Ohio.
10. Perform other duties as assigned.
11. May be assigned to other positions in other departments of the Court if needed.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

1. A high school diploma or equivalent.
2. Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate fluently in both the Foreign Language and English.
3. Minimum of three years of court-related experience in Foreign Language interpreting and translating in a public setting.
4. One or a combination of the following:

• Ohio Supreme Court Spanish Interpreter Certification
• State Court Interpreter Certification by a member of the National Center for State Courts
• Court Interpreter Certification in Spanish from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts

4. Evidence of having completed courses on court interpreter ethics and conduct standards, modes of interpretation, and legal procedure offered by the Ohio Supreme Court, the Franklin County Municipal Court, or an equivalent training.
5. Good understanding of legal terminology and procedures.
6. Ability to render precise, accurate interpretations from English into the Foreign Language and the Foreign Language into English without omissions or additions.
7. Ability to render interpretations promptly without hesitation, in simultaneous and consecutive modes.
8. Thorough knowledge of the methods, techniques and procedures used in interpreting in consecutive and simultaneous modes.
9. Ability to interpret both simultaneously and consecutively.
10. Ability to sight interpret the Foreign Language and English documents.
11. Knowledge of the ethical codes of interpreters and protocol of interpreting, including any applicable rules or standards for interpreters adopted by the Supreme Court of Ohio.
12. Knowledge of common office practices, procedures, and equipment.
13. Proficiency in operating a personal computer and using, or being able to learn, Microsoft Office products including Word, Outlook, and Excel.
14. Good time management skills; highly organized and detail oriented.
15. Ability to prioritize work, work independently without daily supervision, perform a variety of duties, and manage a variety of projects simultaneously in a high-pressure atmosphere under sometimes severe time constraints.
16. Ability to effectively and professionally communicate verbally and in writing in English to diverse audiences.
17. Pleasant personality: ability to interact and maintain effective working relationships with judges, other elected officials, employees, law enforcement officers, lawyers, and other conducting business with the Court.
18. Conscious of and sensitive to the diversity within the Court’s jurisdiction and ability to interact professionally with this diverse population of people from many different geographic, socioeconomic, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds on a regular basis.
19. Professional appearance and demeanor appropriate for the position and expected of a representative of elected officials.
20. Demonstrated dependability, reliability, and excellent attendance record.
21. Patience, objectivity, maturity, effectiveness under stress, initiative, adaptability, leadership, and sound judgment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

1. Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Spanish or Court Interpreting.
2. Previous interpreting experience in a judicial, law enforcement, or legal environment.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Candidates must be up to date and maintain any requirements regarding continuing interpreter education credit hours, with at least twenty-four hours of continuing education every two years, of which at least six hours must be on interpreter ethics. 

WORKING CONDITIONS

Constant moving from courtroom to courtroom as needed by judges and magistrates. Work involves a significant amount of standing and walking.

United States citizenship is not required, but a candidate must be authorized to work in the United States according to all applicable laws and rules, including those of the Department of Homeland Security and any other federal agency or department.

BENEFITS

The Franklin County Municipal Court offers an excellent benefits package that includes medical, prescription, vision, dental, and life insurance; paid family leave, short-term disability; generous paid time off, and sick leave; 11 paid holidays; longevity service payments; sick-leave reciprocity; employee assistance and deferred-compensation programs; tuition reimbursement; and credit-union membership.

Court employees are members of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, which provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for public employees. The Court pays the required employer 14 percent of the employee’s salary. Court employees do not have Social Security taxes withheld from their paychecks because they are members of OPERS.

COURT EXPECTATIONS OF EMPLOYEE

In completing the duties and responsibilities of the position, the Court expects the employee will adhere to all Court policies, guidelines, practices and procedures; act as a role model both inside and outside the Court; perform duties as workload necessitates in a timely, accurate and thorough manner and be conscientious about meeting department productivity standards; and communicate regularly with the supervisor about department issues.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT

Employees of the Court are at-will employees and serve at the pleasure of the Court; they are not in the classified civil service system and are not members of bargaining units.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, religion, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, disability, military status, or genetic information.