Authorized Status

No – only a judge may qualify an interpreter, and it is only for a specific, one time matter. If an interpreter has not earned either the Certified or Registered Court Interpreter Credential, it is best practice to qualify the interpreter by asking questions to garner their experience and qualifications to proceed as an interpreter for the pending matter.

Being Authorized means an interpreter has completed an experience interview provided by Court Language Access Services, (CLAS) has completed a LEDS criminal history check in the state of Oregon, and has granted or denied CLAS consent to release their information to parties outside of CLAS. As of June 2025, CLAS will require Authorized Interpreters to have either language assessment scores or a verified interpreter credential from a credentialing body outside of the Oregon Judicial Department on file for any language in which such an assessment exists.

No – being Authorized is not a credential. It means someone has passed completed the steps to become Authorized which is required for assignments to interpret in the Oregon Courts.

No- only interpreters who have been Certified or Registered by the Oregon Judicial Department will appear on the public roster of interpreters. All Authorized interpreters will be listed on the internal Court Language Access Services (CLAS) roster. If an Authorized interpreter has given CLAS their consent to release their information to parties outside of the OJD, then CLAS will use the internal roster when an outside party is looking for an interpreter.

Due to the number of available Certified Spanish interpreters, CLAS does not offer the Authorized status to Spanish interpreters.

No – a Registered interpreter has completed all of the necessary steps and evaluations with requisite scores to earn the Oregon Registered Court Interpreter Credential. Being Registered means that an interpreter has earned a credential from OJD, being Authorized is a status.

Email court.interpreter.program@ojd.state.or.us if you are interested in becoming an Authorized Interpreter for the Oregon Courts.

Authorized Status

Is Authorized the same as Qualified?

What does it mean if a court interpreter is “Authorized?”

Is the Authorized status considered an interpreting credential?

If an interpreter is Authorized; will their name be on the public roster of Oregon Court Interpreters?

I speak Spanish, can I be Authorized?

Is being Authorized the same as being a Registered interpreter?