§ 6-706.Provisionally certified foreign language interpreter requirements.

Article 7: Interpreters in the Nebraska Judicial Branch · Last amended June 12, 2024 · Last verified July 22, 2026

In one sentenceThis rule creates a provisional certification track for languages that have no national oral exam, letting an applicant qualify instead through age, background, orientation, a written exam score, documented proof of proficiency, references, and a mentor program, with that status expiring once an oral exam becomes available.

Full Text of § 6-706

Text sizeJump to: (A) (B) (C) (D) (E) (F) (G) (H)

A provisionally certified foreign language interpreter must be able to interpret simultaneously and consecutively and provide sight translation from English into the target language and from the target language into English.

In languages for which no oral examination is available, an applicant may be provisionally certified upon establishing to the satisfaction of the State Court Administrator that the individual has:

(A) Reached the age of 19;

(B) Filed with the State Court Administrator a resume, a completed questionnaire regarding their experience, education, work history, and permission for the State Court Administrator to execute a criminal records check;

(C) Had no past felony convictions or pending felony criminal charges. In addition, in the preceding 5 years had no misdemeanor convictions or pending charges manifesting a significant deficiency in honesty, trustworthiness, diligence, or reliability. Disposition of any felony other than by acquittal or dismissal (e.g., pretrial diversion) shall be the basis for denial of provisional certification. Disposition of misdemeanor charges manifesting a significant deficiency in honesty, trustworthiness, diligence, or reliability less than 5 years in the past other than by acquittal or dismissal (e.g., pretrial diversion) may be the basis for denial of provisionally certified status;

(D) Completed the Nebraska Judicial Branch or other state, federal, or member of the National Center for State Courts Language Access Services Section court interpreter orientation that satisfy the requirements of § 6-704(B);

(E) Achieved a qualifying score of 80 percent or higher on a National Center for State Courts written examination administered by the Nebraska Judicial Branch or any member of the National Center for State Courts Language Access Services Section; and

(F) Demonstrate both written and oral proficiency in both English and the foreign language by the following:

(1) Proof of the applicant's English written proficiency shall be demonstrated by one or more of the following:

(a) A degree from an accredited college or university in a country where English is the official language; or

(b) A minimum of 1 year of completed graduate coursework at an accredited university in a country where English is the official language; or

(c) A score of 400 in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) paper-based language test; a score of 97 in the TOEFL PC-based language test; or a score of 32 in the TOEFL Internet-based language test; or

(d) Publication in English where the candidate is the sole or main author; or

(e) Translator certification by the American Translators Association (ATA) in translation of a non-English documents into the English language.

(2) Proof of the applicant's English oral proficiency shall be demonstrated by one or more of the following:

(a) A minimum of 2 years of teaching experience at the college level (undergraduate or graduate) using English as the language of instruction; or

(b) A minimum of 2 years of other professional work experience in the United States or in a country where the official language is English.

(3) Proof of written proficiency in the foreign language(s) as demonstrated by the following:

(a) A minimum 4-year college degree from the United States or an equivalent higher education degree from another country where instruction is conducted in that language; or

(b) Publication in the foreign language in which the applicant is the sole or main author; or

(c) Translator certification from the American Translators Association (ATA) in translation of an English document into a foreign language.

(4) Proof of oral proficiency in the foreign language as demonstrated by the following:

(a) A minimum of 2 years of teaching at the college level (undergraduate or graduate) using the foreign language as the language of instruction; or

(b) A minimum of 2 years of other professional experience in a country where the foreign language is the official language; or

(c) A degree from an internationally recognized university or academic institution, ideally in, but not limited to, translation and interpretation with a concentration in the foreign language.

(5) Three letters of reference to attest to the applicant's interpreting and professional experience within the past 2 years.

(6) The State Court Administrator shall determine whether an applicant's degree, coursework, teaching experience, and/or professional work experience meet the requirements of this rule and may determine if an applicant meets the requirements of this rule if an applicant passes an equivalent test or obtains a certification that demonstrates proof of oral proficiency in both English and the foreign language.

(7) Upon the applicant's meeting the above requirements, the individual will be assigned to a mentor program developed and approved by the Nebraska Judicial Branch. Upon completion of the mentor program and a favorable report from the assigned mentor, the applicant shall be considered a provisionally certified interpreter.

(G) Continuing Education. To maintain provisionally certified status, court interpreters must comply with continuing education requirements as outlined in § 6-710. Failure to complete recognized continuing education shall be grounds for removal of the interpreter's name from the statewide register of interpreters.

(H) Provisional certification shall be recognized by the Nebraska Judicial Branch until such time as an oral examination is available from the National Center for State Courts. The provisional certification will be withdrawn 6 months after an oral test is made available in the interpreter's non-English language. Provisionally certified interpreter status will be adjusted based on their National Center for State Courts oral examination results.

End

Amendment History

§ 6-706 adopted March 16, 2011; § 6-706(G) amended May 16, 2012, effective July 1, 2012; § 6-706(C) amended December 12, 2018; § 6-706, (D)-(F), and (H) amended April 14, 2021; § 6-706 amended June 12, 2024.

Plain-English Summary

Not every language has a ready-made national oral exam behind it. Section 6-706 exists for that gap. An applicant seeking provisional certification in one of those languages must still meet the age-19 and background-check standards that apply across Article 7, and must complete an approved orientation and score 80 percent or higher on the written exam, just as a fully certified interpreter would.

Where the rule diverges is in how it verifies language skill without an oral exam to rely on. An applicant has to document English written and oral proficiency — through a degree from an English-language institution, TOEFL scores, published writing, or ATA translator certification, among other paths — and document the same for the foreign language, through a college degree, publication, teaching experience, or comparable professional experience. Three letters of reference vouching for the applicant’s interpreting and professional experience round out the paper record. Once the State Court Administrator is satisfied all of this adds up, the applicant enters a mentor program, and a favorable mentor report is what finally converts the application into provisional certification.

Provisional certification is, by design, temporary. It lasts only until a national oral exam becomes available in that language, at which point the provisional status is withdrawn six months later, and the interpreter’s standing gets reset based on how they perform on that new oral exam. Like every other category, provisional certification also depends on keeping up with the continuing education required by § 6-710.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Nebraska have a “provisional” certification category?

Some languages do not yet have a national oral exam available. Provisional certification lets an interpreter in one of those languages qualify through documented proficiency and a mentor program instead.

How do I prove language proficiency without taking an oral exam?

Through documentation such as a relevant college degree, TOEFL scores, published writing where you are the main author, ATA translator certification, or several years of teaching or professional experience using that language.

What is the mentor program requirement?

After meeting the documentation requirements, an applicant is assigned to a mentor program developed by the Nebraska Judicial Branch, and a favorable report from the mentor is what completes the provisional certification process.

What happens to my provisional certification once an oral exam becomes available in my language?

It is withdrawn six months after the oral exam becomes available, and your status as an interpreter gets adjusted based on your results on that exam.

Do provisionally certified interpreters need continuing education too?

Yes. Maintaining provisional certification depends on meeting the same continuing education requirements described in § 6-710.

Does provisional certification require a written exam?

Yes, the same 80 percent qualifying score on the National Center for State Courts written exam that certified and registered interpreters must achieve.

Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Judicial Branch, adopted by the Supreme Court of Nebraska. Last verified July 22, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: provisional interpreter certification nebraskano oral exam language interpreterinterpreter mentor program nebraskaproving language proficiency without examprovisionally certified interpreter requirements