Licensed Court Interpreters

• CE Requirements
• Orientation Requirements for Providers
• Applying for CE Course Approval
• Applying for Orientation Course Approval
• Online Courses
• Course Hour Calculations
• Frequently Asked Questions

To search our list of approved continuing education courses, please go to the online certification and licensing system on our home page.  

Continuing Education Requirements

To renew a license, court interpreters must have completed a total of 16 hours of approved continuing education, including 4 in ethics. Court interpreters can carry forward 8 hours of eligible CE to their next license period. Ethics hours cannot be carried forward.

• To clarify, this means, if you reported 24 hours of approved CE for your 2020 renewal, a maximum of 8 hours of non-ethics CE can be used towards your 2022 renewal. You must select the course and upload the certificate again so that it is attached to your 2022 online renewal application though.

Please refer to sections 4.0 and 9.7 of the JBCC Rules for additional information on continuing education requirements.

We are accepting applications for approval of continuing education from both course providers and licensed court interpreters. A course outline must be submitted with each request for approval as well as copies of the speaker bios. The course outline must contain the following information:

a. Describe course content (i.e., detailed description of each session of the program)
b. Indicate the time allotted to each segment (i.e., the start and end time of each session of the program in quarter hours for in-person courses or listing each session duration using quarter hour increments for online courses). See examples below:

• • In-person course example: 8:00-8:15, 9:45-11:30, etc.
  • Online course example: .25 hrs, .50 hrs, .75, hrs, 1.0 hrs, 2.5 hrs, etc.

c. The date and location of the course (i.e., city/state for in-person courses, or website for online courses)
d. Any sessions in ethics must be identified on the outline as well.

When submitting CE applications online, enter data in the "Course Location" field, as follows:
a. For in-person courses: enter just the city/cities (for TX courses), or city/cities and state (for non-TX courses), or
b. For online courses: enter the website address where the course is offered. 
c. Skip the City, State and Zip fields.
Entering the location this way helps to ensure it is displayed properly for those searching our system to see what is available in their area(s). 

For Course Type, please only select Seminar, Online, or Other.

Approved courses can be found in our online licensing system. A course must be JBCC approved before a licensed court interpreter can claim the hours for renewal purposes.

The following information must be included the certificates of completion issued to attendees:

1. The JBCC assigned program number.
2. The name of the course provider.
3. The title of the course.
4. The date the attendee completed the course.
5. The number of hours completed by the attendee.
6. The sessions completed by the attendee.
7. The signature of the course provider.

Inquiries Regarding Paperwork

Applications are processed as soon as possible, in the order of which they are received. Due to the volume of applications received, processing times can vary; therefore, we are unable to provide more specific timeframes.

Applicants must confirm receipt of their applications, and the status of their applications, by referring to the View Pending Applications page of their online profiles. All applicants are sent automated email confirmations of successful application submission, and when applications are approved. Inquiries for application status checks or receipt confirmation will not be replied to unless determined by staff that there’s been a delay in processing your application, and you have not received prior notification. We receive many of these inquiries and each email takes time to research and respond to which delays the processing of applications. Thank you for your understanding.

Applying for Continuing Education Course Approval

To apply for approval of a continuing education course, you must submit a request for CE approval by way of the online certification and licensing system located on our home page. Please refer to the pdf Guide to Using the Online System, as well as the pdf slideshow for how to apply for course approval online, on our home page for instructions on the online application process.

Note: If the course is already approved (i.e., it already has a JBCC program number shown on the certificate), you do not have to apply for CE approval. 

Providers, online courses and in-person courses must be applied for separately. If you have a course you offered in-person and wish to offer all (or part of) it online, you must submit the required course approval form. Each will be assigned its own program number.

Applications will be reviewed to determine compliance with Commission's rules. Applicants will be notified of the determination via email.

Pre-Licensing Orientation Course Requirements for Providers

All orientation courses must be approved by the JBCC to be eligible to meet the pre-licensing orientation course requirement. The course must be at least 6 hours in length. Approved orientation courses will be assigned a JBCC program number. 

The following information must be included the certificates of completion issued to attendees:

1. The JBCC assigned program number.
2. The name of the course provider.
3. The title of the course.
4. The date the attendee completed the course.
5. The number of hours completed by the attendee.
6. The signature of the course provider.

Applicants for approval of an orientation course must meet the requirements of Rule 4.3 (b)(1) of the JBCC Rules. The syllabus must show that the course contains the following:

• Modes of interpreting: sight, simultaneous and consecutive
• Protocol and skill exercises: sight, simultaneous and consecutive, group discussion and role-playing
• Ethics: discussion and role playing concerning the Code of Professional Responsibility for Interpreters in the Judiciary
• Discussion of criminal procedure, cognates and legal terminology
• JBCC application process and new license designation requirements

Applying for Orientation Course Approval

Pre-Certification Orientation Approval Form (NEW)

To apply for approval of an orientation course, you must submit the Pre-License Orientation Approval Form along with the appropriate documentation to the address indicated on the form. Applications will be reviewed to determine compliance with Commission's rules. Applicants will be notified of the determination via email. Orientation course approval forms cannot be submitted via the online certification and licensing system.

Online Continuing Education and Orientation Courses

When applying for approval of a course being offered online, you must include the following security protocols information on your course approval form:

• How you will track the time of each attendee to ensure credit for time actual participation time, and
• How you will confirm the identity of the individual who signed up and the individual taking the course are the same.

Options for Verifying Identification of Online Course Attendees:

1. Two-factor Authentication,
2. Proctored courses (live proctor or remote proctor), or
3. Photo identification required at sign up and at start of course.

Course Hour Calculations

• Course Calculations Conversion Chart (pdf)

Course hours are to be calculated and reported in quarter hour increments. 

For example:

.25= 15 min., .50=30 min., .75=45 min., and 1 or 1.0=1 hr.