Introduction

The Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) is pleased to provide this manual to help you prepare for the court interpreting test. Whether you are a conditionally accredited Ministry of the Attorney General court interpreter planning to retake the test, or are applying to become an accredited Ministry of the Attorney General court interpreter, this manual will be very helpful.

A court interpreter is fundamental to ensuring that justice is administered fairly and comprehensively. Section 14 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states: "A party or witness in any proceedings who does not understand or speak the language in which the proceedings are conducted or who is deaf has the right to the assistance of an interpreter." This is a right provided for all persons and in all languages. Accessibility to an interpreter ensures that a Charter right is not violated and that all parties can participate in the legal process.

The responsibility of a court interpreter in the justice system is a tremendous one and interpreters are expected to bring a high level of skill and professionalism to their work. The court interpretation test evaluates the skills required to interpret in court as well as the degree to which they are developed. This manual provides an overview of what is included in the test and some practice exercises so you can get familiar with the test format.

Languages available

The bilingual court interpreting test is administered to interpreter candidates in these languages.  If your language does not appear on this list, see “Preparing for the English Court Interpreting Test.”

Albanian
Arabic
Bengali
Serbian
Cambodian / Khmer
Cantonese
Somali
Spanish

Farsi/Persian
Filipino / Tagalog
French
Greek
Hungarian
Italian
Tamil
Turkish

Korean
Mandarin
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Russian
Urdu
Vietnamese

Equipment needed

To make the best use of the practice exercises you will need the following:

  • A computer with internet access equipped with Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar.
  • A recording device or a smartphone, tablet or computer equipped with a recording app to record your practice exercises.
  • A headset or earphones equipped with a microphone that will allow you to listen to audio files and record your voice at the same time.

If you require the manual and practi ce exercise materials in a different format, please contact attorneygeneral@ontario.ca.