Membership Program

How to apply for membership of the Alberta Court Interpreters Association (ACIA)

  1. A Membership Application must be filled in and must comply with all requirements.
  2. Annual membership fee is $100.
  3. New members must also pay an additional $50 for website support and advertising purposes.
  4. Must abide by the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Court Interpreters.
  5. Professional behaviour in and out of court is expected and required from ACIA’s members.
  6. Members must have had either prior court training and experience or pursued courses in the legal field and interpretation.

Benefits for joining ACIA

    • We are a credible entity, focused on legal matters, mentored and advised by counsel, judges and professionals directly working with interpreters. We are recognized by the Alberta Government, including Alberta Transportation, which qualifies our members to interpret for people taking driver’s licence tests at registry offices.
    • Every organization that uses interpreters looks for competent and qualified interpreters. ACIA offers opportunities to interpreters accredited in other fields to become court interpreters provided they have taken some courses in the legal field. ACIA’s membership list is made available to numerous entities relying on interpreters such as Witness Central, the Calgary Police Service, the Edmonton Police Service, Legal Aid, the RCMP, Correctional Services of Canada, the Defense Lawyers Association, the Calgary Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association and Alberta Transportation.
    • ACIA’s successful negotiation for a pay raise has set a new benchmark used by individuals and agencies hiring interpreters outside the court.

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES & REQUIREMENTS

ACIA’s Executive Council has decided to re-define the membership categories to take into consideration both internal requests and current court requirements. In addition to our Full Memberships, we have also established Honorary Memberships.

Full Memberships

Requirements include the following:

1- Education:

  • University degree in interpretation, or
  • Minimum post-secondary education (two years in college or university)

Graduation and/or certification from interpreting training programs such as:

  • Bow Valley College Interpreting for Justice Certificate Program
  • Vancouver Community College (VCC) Court Interpreting Certificate Program
  • Certification as a court interpreter by the Society of Translators and Interpreters in British Columbia (STIBC)
  • Certification as a court interpreter from a society belonging to the Canadian Translators, Terminologists and Interpreters Council (CTTIC)
  • Certificate of Interpretation from the Association of Visual Language Interpreters of Canada (AVLIC)
  • Certification as a sign language interpreter by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID)
  • Accreditation as a court interpreter by the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario
  • Interpreter accreditation from l’Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ)
  • Court Interpretation certification through the Quebec Department of Justice
  • Level One and Level Two Court Interpretation certification through the New Brunswick Translation Bureau
  • Nunavut Court Interpretation accreditation program in collaboration with Nunavut Arctic College.

2- Language proficiency in English if not provided by the above – be it CILISAT and/or IRB tests, or English language equivalency testing such as TOEFL/IELTS.

3- Previous and/or current experience as an interpreter, including 4 hours each of court observation or court interpretation in Docket Court, Traffic Court, Family Court, Youth Court as well as trials in Criminal Court for a minimum total of 20 hours.

4- Certification from a minimum of 3 interpreting workshops provided by ACIA within a one-year period.

To be accepted as full members, candidates must provide:

  1. A digital picture in JPG format and a digital signature in JPG format for the Full Membership card.
  2. A Police Information Check (less than one year old).
  3. An updated résumé (curriculum vitae).
  4. Two work references – include names and phone numbers.
  5. Copies of relevant diplomas/certificates.
  6. Payment – $100.00 made payable to ACIA to cover the annual membership fee, plus a one-time fee of $50.00 for website support and advertising purposes.

Honorary Memberships

Full Members who are no longer active as Court Interpreters in Alberta may become Honorary Members if they decide not to continue paying the membership fee. This category shall also be open to distinguished supporters of ACIA within the legal profession. Candidates can be nominated by any Full Member of ACIA and require the approval of a majority of the membership at large before they can be accepted.

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