Link to our Policy and Procedures Manual (adopted July 2019)
Oklahoma Laws pertaining to Sign Language interpreting:
Oklahoma Educational Interpreter for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Act
Oklahoma Legal Interpreter for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing Act
Interpreter for the Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Privilege
OKRID CMP Coordinator Information: Link to RID
Interpreters in OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma has statutory requirements for legal and educational interpreting. Otherwise, we do not have licensure or certification requirements.
Legal interpreters have to have one of the following:
*Certified by the State Board of Examiners of Certified Courtroom Interpreters
*Requires a national certification, a 2 day orientation, and the National Center for State Courts Written Exam
*Hold an SC:L
*CI/CT, CSC or NAD V
Educational Interpreters also have statutory requirements. An educational interpreter must have one of the following, and register with the State Department of Education:
*Bachelors degree
*Completed an Interpreter Training Program
*3 years experience working in Deaf Education
AND must also have:
*National Certification
*QAST level III (3) or higher
*EIPA 3.5 or higher
*ESSE 3.5 or higher
If an interpreter has a QAST I or II, and one of the education/experience requirements, they may work in public schools for up to 3 years to receive one of the qualified levels.
Interpreter Certification Verification
If you are seeking to find out whether the interpreter hired for your assignment is certified/qualified, you can do so at the following websites, depending on which certification(s) the interpreter holds.
The current list of certified interpreters with the Oklahoma Interpreter Certification Resource Center (QAST interpreters) is linked here:
Oklahoma QAST Interpreter Registry
For interpreters holding RID (national) certification, you can search the current list on the RID website here:
RID Find a Member Search
For educational work in Oklahoma, the interpreter must be listed on the Oklahoma Educational Interpreter Registry. Once you click that link, you can find the link to a PDF of the current list, maintained by the Oklahoma State Department of Education.
For legal work, interpreters holding a Certified Courtroom Interpreter credential from the Oklahoma Supreme Court are preferred, but not required. The current list of interpreters holding a CCI credential can be found at the previous link. CCI holders should be contact first for legal work, but the paragraph and statutes above detail other allowed certifications in court. When you click the link to this website, look down the page to find the PDF labeled "Sign Language Registry", which is the most updated list. Here is also a great article explaining the Supreme Court's CCI program.