A certified Mandarin court interpreter is anyone who interprets in a civil or criminal court proceeding (e.g., arraignment, motion, pretrial conference, preliminary hearing, deposition, trial) for a witness or defendant who speaks or understands little or no English. Certified court interpreters must accurately interpret for individuals with a high level of education and an expansive vocabulary, as well as persons with very limited language skills without changing the language register of the speaker. Certified court interpreters are also sometimes responsible for translating written documents, often of a legal nature, from English into Mandarin Chinese and from Mandarin Chinese into English.

Court interpreting is a very demanding job that requires complete fluency in both English and Mandarin. The level of expertise required for this profession is far greater than that required for everyday bilingual conversation. The Mandarin interpreter must be able to handle the widest range of language terms that might be presented in the courts, everything from specialized legal and technical terminology to street slang. Most people do not have full command of all registers of both English and Mandarin and, therefore, require special training to acquire it. Although there are no minimum requirements that must be met in order to apply to take the state certification test, applicants are encouraged to complete formal, college-level course work and training in both languages and modes of interpreting before applying for the examination.

At present there are two schools in the State of California that offer introductory courses and certificate programs in Mandarin interpretation or translation.  One is the University of California - Los Angeles extension program.  The other is offered at LA Institute of Translation and Interpretation.

 If you prefer self-study, the following techniques are suggested: (1) expand your English and Mandarin vocabulary, (2) develop your own glossaries, and (3) develop interpreting techniques. Suggested skills-enhancing exercises are available to help you develop three interpreting techniques: (1) consecutive interpretation, (2) simultaneous interpretation, and (3) sight translation.