Continuing education is required by the AOCP to ensure that certified, provisionally certified, and registered interpreters who serve in the Nebraska state courts maintain and improve their interpreting skills and expand their vocabulary. Additionally, continuing education is required to ensure that certified interpreters are in compliance with Local Rules in Chapter 6 (Trial Courts), Article 7 (Interpreters in Court), and the Nebraska Code of Professional Responsibility for Court Interpreters (Appendix 1).

   As of July 1, 2012, these requirements apply to all interpreters who are certified, provisionally certified, or registered court interpreters in the State of Nebraska who wish to interpret in the Nebraska state courts. Meeting these requirements is a condition for continued certification, provisional certification, or registered status of court interpreters.

   (A) CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENT refers to educational activities in which the interpreter engages after successfully passing the certification examination, being provisionally certified, or having registered status.

   Every certified, provisionally certified, or registered interpreter shall complete and report ten (10) credit hours of approved continuing education offered or accredited by the AOCP during each two-year reporting period. At least four (4) continuing education hours must be earned at an AOCP-approved ethics and skills building workshop. The two-year reporting period commences as set forth below at § 6-709(C).

   (B) APPROVED/ACCREDITED CONTINUING EDUCATION shall be earned in participatory activities, i.e., a course, conference, workshop, lecture, or other activity, at which attendance is monitored and verified. Participatory continuing education activities may include courses offered at accredited institutions of higher learning or conferences or workshops sponsored by accredited professional organizations.

   Continuing Education credits may be obtained through programs, conferences, and workshops endorsed and credited for continuing education by the Nebraska or other State or Federal Administrative Offices of the Courts, the Nebraska Association for Translators and Interpreters (NATI), the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT), the American Translators Association (ATA), and the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), along with educational programs offered by colleges and/or universities, or training programs offered by other Language Access Services Section member states. 

   Continuing education credit granted shall be for the actual number granted by accredited programs, conferences, workshops, or training programs. Auditing an academic college level language course for continuing education credit or taking same for academic credit is permitted with education credits under this rule allocated as follows: one academic quarter unit shall be deemed equivalent to 10 continuing education credits and one academic semester unit shall be deemed equivalent to 15 continuing education credits.

   Interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing must complete the RID required 8.0 continuing education credits (80 hours) in a cycle (4 years). These eight continuing education credits are divided into two Content Areas: Professional Studies and General Studies. Participants must work with a RID-Approved Sponsor to earn continuing education credits.

   Continuing education credit will be awarded only after completion of the entire activity. Partial attendance does not qualify for continuing education credit. Reasonable absences are allowed for academic courses. The academic institution's attendance requirements for credit must be met to be eligible for continuing education credit. If an educational activity spans two compliance periods, credit will be earned in the period in which the activity is completed. No continuing education hours may be carried over from one compliance period to the next.

   To receive continuing education credit for a particular educational activity, other than those listed above, the interpreter may request credit by submitting information regarding the activity (e.g., description of curriculum, agenda of conference, etc.) to the AOCP, and must receive approval prior to attendance at the activity. This information shall be submitted in advance of the program to ensure approval. Retroactive approval may be sought for good cause.

   Any interpreter who wishes to receive continuing education credit must be able to show proof of having taken the course or attended the conference or workshop (e.g., an official transcript from the university or college, or a receipt and/or certificate of completion from the conference or workshop).

   (C)  COMPLIANCE.  Each certified, provisionally certified, or registered interpreter is required to submit a completed Continuing Education Compliance Form (Appendix 2) to the AOCP every two years. The 24-month time period begins on January 1 following the date an interpreter becomes certified and is awarded the Nebraska State Certified Court Interpreter Certificate. The AOCP will make available, by the interpreter's request or online, the approved compliance form to be submitted.

   (D) NONCOMPLIANCE with the continuing education requirement shall result in the interpreter's name being removed from the list of Nebraska Certified Court Interpreters, Nebraska Provisionally Certified Court Interpreters, or the Nebraska Registered Court Interpreters. Interpreters whose names have been removed from the lists for noncompliance with the continuing education requirement shall not be given interpreting assignments with the courts. Interpreters will not be added back onto the list until the continuing education requirement is met.

§ 6-709 adopted May 16, 2012, effective July 1, 2012; § 6-709 and (B)-(C) amended April 14, 2021.