Become an Interpreter

Court Interpreter Profiles

Eric Bishop

Eric Bishop, a Certified Spanish interpreter for the last 15 years, says he happened on the court interpreter profession by chance. While pursuing a Masters in teaching English as a Second Language, Eric found an intensive course in court interpreting at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He fell in love with the profession because it continually challenged him to improve his language skills while helping people.

“It must be terrifying to be in a country where you don’t speak the language, and you find yourself in court,” says Bishop. “As an interpreter, I make sure everybody has a voice in court.” In one proceeding, Eric interpreted for an individual who was picked up mistakenly by the police. The individual had been unable to communicate the error to police officers previously. When he appeared in court, where Eric was assigned as his interpreter, the matter was resolved. “When I interpreted the judge’s words that he would be released, the man burst out in tears.”

Having grown up in both Mexico and the United States, Eric’s bilingual skills were developed over the course of his life. Bishop took the certification exam for the first time in 1990. “The reason I failed the first time was that I had not developed my interpreting techniques enough to perform at the level required by the courts,” says Bishop. After further study, Eric passed the exam and was certified in 1991. The exam needs to be rigorous, he says, because “in court, the stakes are so high that a mistake can have dire consequences.”

Bishop is now the Director of the interpreting program at the College of Extended Learning at San Francisco State University. He is proud to train students to help ensure equal access in the California courts.

Andrew August Erickson

For the last four years, Andrew Erickson has worked under contract as a court interpreter in California’s courts. When asked what he finds rewarding about the profession, Andrew said, “I enjoy the freedom to accept assignments in any number of courts, and the ability to facilitate communication between the courts and those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to have their say.” As a court interpreter certified in both Spanish and Portuguese and registered in Italian, Andrew helps bridge the language barrier for non-English-speaking people from a variety of linguistic groups.

What began as a love of languages while studying abroad in high school and college developed into a rewarding career as a professional interpreter. Although Andrew initially put his quadrilingual skills to use as an interpreter for a private company, he believes that interpreter training programs and diligent self-study were essential to developing the skills needed to be a professional court interpreter. Prior to taking the California court interpreter exams, Andrew completed a semester-long course at the Southern California School of Interpretation as well as an intensive course in interpretation at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Additionally, Andrew developed the breadth of legal vocabulary required for court interpreting by sitting in on court proceedings and interpreting silently to himself.

To others interested in the court interpreting profession, Andrew offers the same advice that he received in the past: “Be diligent in studying for the certification exam. If you don't pass on the first attempt, be persistent. Patience, diligence, and a desire to learn are all qualities that make for a good interpreter."

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