Qualifications; certification required; exceptions.
1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person who wishes to engage in the practice of interpreting in this state must:
(a) Be at least 18 years of age;
(b) Have at least a high school diploma or a general equivalency diploma;
(c) Be capable of providing the type of interpreting services required for the person who is deaf or whose hearing is impaired; and
(d) Have:
(1) Been issued at least one of the following certificates by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf or its successor organization:
(I) Master Comprehensive Skills Certificate;
(II) Comprehensive Skills Certificate;
(III) Certificate of Interpretation;
(IV) Certificate of Transliteration;
(V) Legal Specialist Certificate; or
(VI) Oral Interpreting Certificate;
(2) Been certified by the National Association of the Deaf or its successor organization as having a level of proficiency in providing interpreting services at level 3, 4 or 5; or
(3) Passed the Cued Language Transliterator National Certification Examination administered by the Testing, Evaluation, and Certification Unit, Inc., or its successor organization and must hold a Transliteration Skills Certificate issued by the Testing, Evaluation, and Certification Unit, Inc., or its successor organization.
2. A person who wishes to engage in the practice of interpreting in this state in a legal setting must comply with the requirements set forth in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subsection 1 and must:
(a) Have been issued at least one of the certificates set forth in subparagraph (1) of paragraph (d) of subsection 1;
(b) Have been certified by the National Association of the Deaf or its successor organization as having a level of proficiency in providing interpreting services at level 4 or 5; or
(c) Have passed the Cued Language Transliterator National Certification Examination administered by the Testing, Evaluation, and Certification Unit, Inc., or its successor organization and must hold a Transliteration Skills Certificate issued by the Testing, Evaluation, and Certification Unit, Inc., or its successor organization.
3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, a person, including, without limitation, a teacher and a teacher’s aide, who wishes to engage in the practice of interpreting in this state in a public school, including, without limitation, a charter school, or a private school must comply with the requirements set forth in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of subsection 1 and must:
(a) Comply with the requirements set forth in paragraph (d) of subsection 1; or
(b) Have completed the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment administered by the Boys Town National Research Hospital or its successor organization and received a rating of his level of proficiency in providing interpreting services at level 4 or 5.
4. A person who has not complied with the requirements set forth in paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection 3 may engage in the practice of interpreting in a public school, including, without limitation, a charter school, or a private school for not more than 3 years if:
(a) There is a demonstrated shortage of personnel who have complied with those requirements in the geographic area of this state in which the public school or private school is located;
(b) The school district, charter school or private school that hires a person pursuant to this subsection has made and continues to make a good faith effort to recruit and hire persons who have complied with the requirements set forth in paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection 3;
(c) The shortage of personnel described in paragraph (a) has precluded the school district, charter school or private school from employing the number of persons who have complied with the requirements set forth in paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection 3 as is necessary to satisfy the personnel requirements of the school district, charter school or private school; and
(d) The person hired by the school district, charter school or private school pursuant to this subsection makes satisfactory progress, as determined by the school district, charter school or private school, toward complying with the requirements set forth in paragraph (a) or (b) of subsection 3 during the period of his employment.
5. As used in this section:
(a) “Charter school” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 385.007.
(b) “Legal setting” means:
(1) A communication with a law enforcement officer, as defined in NRS 179B.070, that relates to a criminal investigation;
(2) A communication with an attorney who is acting in his professional capacity;
(3) A negotiation for a contract for which the estimated amount required to perform the contract is $1,000 or more; or
(4) A judicial proceeding, including, without limitation:
(I) A grand jury proceeding;
(II) A court proceeding;
(III) A pretrial examination, deposition, motion and related proceedings of like character; and
(IV) The proceedings of an administrative agency.
(c) “Public school” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 385.007.
(d) “Private school” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 394.103.
Last modified: February 27, 2006