Court interpreter

Job Description Summary

Perform Spanish to English and English to Spanish interpretation in the simultaneous, consecutive, and sight translation modes for judicial proceedings and in related work situations in Pima County Superior, Juvenile, and Justice Courts.

This position will remain open until filled. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and the posting may close without notice once a candidate is selected. To ensure full consideration, please submit your application by Friday, July 17, 2026. Applications received after this date may be reviewed at the discretion of the hiring authority.

Job Description

Hiring Hourly Range: $27.19 ($56,555.20) - $29.91 ($62,212.80)

Range Explanation: 

• Hiring Range is an estimate of where you can receive an offer. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, training, and internal equity.
• The position is in pay grade 11, which may constitute a promotional opportunity for current county staff. Promotional increase will be determined at the time of offer.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

This is a classified position that reports to the Director, Court Interpretation and Translation Services (CITS) at Superior Court or Manager, Court Interpretation and Translation Services (CITS) at Juvenile or Justice Courts.   This position performs duties under general supervision and has no supervisory responsibilities.

Minimum Qualifications:

We recognize your time is valuable, so please apply if you meet the following required qualifications:

A bachelor’s degree and two years of continuous professional experience interpreting and translation experience in Spanish/English and English/Spanish in a municipal, general jurisdiction, or United States District Court.  The two years’ work experience may include experience in legal, medical, escort, and/or conference interpreting for a government official; OR any equivalent combination of experience, training and/or education that demonstrates the ability to perform the essential functions of this position, as approved by Human Resources.

Preference will be given to candidates with an advanced educational degree from a recognized interpretation and translation program such as:

• M.A. from Middlebury of International Studies, (formerly Monterey) Institute,
• B.A. from the University of Arizona in Mexican American Studies or Spanish in which a certificate of completion has been granted in Court Interpreting, OR
• Comparable academic program with a concentration and in Translation and Interpreting.

Applicants and incumbents must have a Tier 3 or Tier 4 credential from the Arizona Court Interpreter Credentialing Program (ACICP).

Important Notice Regarding Multiple Applications:

Once a candidate formally accepts a job offer with Superior Court, Juvenile Court, or Justice Court (Tucson and Ajo), all other active applications they may have submitted for different roles within these courts will be inactivated. This ensures clarity in our hiring process and allows us to focus on onboarding and supporting the candidate in their new role.

We appreciate your interest in joining our team.

Qualifying education and experience must be clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the application. Do not substitute a resume for your application or write "see resume" on your application.

Please upload your resume and cover letter with the application (REQUIRED).

This is an on-site position

No relocation assistance will be provided.

Please be aware that selected candidates for this position must be authorized to work in the United States and will need provide documentation of eligibility on the first day of employment. 

The court does not provide visa sponsorship. 

Essential Duties & Functions:

• Interprets in consecutive and simultaneous modes English/Spanish and Spanish/English in hearings and proceedings for Superior, Juvenile, and Justice Court, and other work situations as necessary. 
• Performs case-related and law-related research to prepare for in-court interpreting appearances.
• Conducts sight translations of court documents. 
• Performs oral interpretation of the speech of judges, court officers and witnesses. 
• Translates from Spanish to English and English to Spanish those court orders, court notices, petitions, legal documents, or materials deemed essential to court proceedings. 
• Proofreads translated materials as directed for court divisions and departments.
• May assist in the training of on-call and new staff interpreters.
• Reliable, predictable, and timely attendance is considered essential for this position.

Additional Responsibilities/Duties:

• Must be willing to be reassigned or travel from one work site to another (to include both by walking and by driving a motor vehicle) to fulfill assignments.
• May have to react to physical confrontations quickly and effectively.
• May perform other duties and projects as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Must have knowledge of written and spoken English and Spanish languages at an in-depth level that allows for their idiomatic and native-like usage and comprehension.
• Must have knowledge of interpreter’s code of ethics and protocol, courtroom procedures, legal processes, and methods of courtroom interpreting.
• Must have knowledge of Spanish and English legal, medical, and business terminology, and the ability to research, learn and translate new terminology.
• Must have skills in rendering precise sight translations, simultaneous and consecutive interpretations and written translations in English/Spanish and Spanish/English.  
• Must have skills with desktop computers using software products to produce written translations, and data entry skills to record daily cases for statistical record-keeping. 
• Must have the ability to transcribe and translate Spanish and English and manipulate both languages in their formal and informal registers, and must be able to use correct grammar, spelling, and diacritical markings in both languages, and produce clear, neat, and accurate translations that are effectively and meaningfully the equivalent of the source language.
• Must be able to use interpreter audio equipment, and video remote interpretation platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
• Must be able to work individually or as a team interpreter with both staff and daily contract interpreters and complete assignments accurately and with attention to detail
• Must have the ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and effectively with people of varying linguistics, educational levels, diverse cultural backgrounds, and a variety of court personnel including judges, attorneys, witnesses and other judicial coworkers.
• Must establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

Licenses and Certificates:

• Candidates must have a Tier 3 or Tier 4 credential from the Arizona Court Interpreter Credentialing Program (ACICP). 
• Must have a valid Arizona driver’s license at the time of appointment.

Physical/Sensory Items:

• Typically perform duties in a courtroom and in an office environment and may lift materials and/or equipment 20 lbs. or less.
• Must have the ability to sit or stand for long periods of time; must be able to remain focused while sitting or standing for long durations.
• Must be able to travel between different courtrooms or court facilities (to include both by walking and by driving a motor vehicle) 
• Must be able to listen to multiple speakers and comprehend the meaning of their speech to speak effectively and meaningfully to the users of interpreter services.  
• Must also be able to observe speakers clearly and recall aural and visual details.
• Must be able to multitask—listen, translate, and speak—while ignoring distractions.
• Must remain impartial and professional, even when relaying graphic, traumatic, or shocking testimony.
• Must have a high capacity for short-term recall to accurately interpret long segments of speech.

Benefits:

We offer exceptional benefits:

• Retirement Plan
• Vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• 100% paid parental leave
• Employer-paid Short -term Disability
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Health Wellness discount program
• Mental and Behavioral Health Benefits
• Paid Training with Advancement Opportunities
• Upon yearly anniversary, 56 hours of sick time accrued, less usage, may be rolled over to vacation time.

The Arizona Superior Court in Pima County and the Pima County Juvenile Court Center offer the same benefits as those offered to other employees working for Pima County.  We offer a competitive benefits package to benefits eligible employees, which includes medical, dental, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, paid vacation and sick leave.   Some benefits require contributions by employees in addition to contributions made by the employer.  Please see the link below for a complete description of the offerings.
Pima County Benefits

Retirement Plan participation is mandatory for all eligible employees to include a mandatory pre-tax pay deduction. Current rates can be viewed here:  
ASRS Contribution Rates

Full-time employees of government organizations may be able to receive student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.  For more information click Student Loan Forgiveness | Federal Student Aid. 

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, protected veteran status, political interest, or any other characteristic or category protected by local, state, or federal law.