Interpreter Testing and Certification - State Employees

Bilingual Oral Fluency Exams Now Being Offered !

The Bilingual Services Program (BSP) has expanded its fluency exams to include Oral Bilingual Fluency testing for the following languages: Cantonese, Hindi, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. The BSP is also in the process of finalizing oral fluency examinations for the Korean and Hmong languages. The bilingual oral fluency examination is intended to ensure that individuals communicating in non-English languages, in the performance of their job duties, possess the requisite skill/proficiency to provide for effective communication. The exam is designed to measure skills in vocabulary (commonly used terms and expressions), pronunciation (ability to be understood, enunciation, and clarity of expression), grammar (characteristic systems of words and the grammatical structure of the language), comprehension (ability to grasp significance of information), and resourcefulness (ability to appropriately communicate an idea, while retaining intent, from one language to another).

A request to test an employee's bilingual oral fluency level must be sent to the BSP by the Personnel Officer or other authorized representative from the employing department. A hiring manager with a potential candidate should initiate the request through his/her Personnel Office. All requests for testing should be forwarded to the BSP by completing and submitting an Oral Bilingual Examination Request Form (SPB 810-BE). A fillable .pdf document is provided below for your convenience:

• Oral Bilingual Examination Request Form (SPB 810-BE) 

The request form must be signed/approved by the department's Personnel Officer or other designated representative. The oral bilingual fluency exam is conducted over the telephone. The cost is $115 per competitor, if payment is submitted via a purchase order or billed towards the department's consolidated contract, cashier's check or money order. PLEASE NOTE: Payment must be submitted with the Examination Request Form and received by the BSP prior to scheduling any competitor for a oral fluency examination. The cost of the examination includes administering the exam, issuing examination results and entering the results onto SPB's on-line system. If you would like additional information about scheduling an employee or a previously submitted request for a bilingual oral fluency exam, you may contact the Bilingual Testing Coordinator by telephone at (916) 651-9017 or by e-mail at: bilingual@spb.ca.gov.

American Sign Language Testing and Certification

If you are interested in the American Sign Language (ASL) fluency examination, the Department of Rehabilitation, through its Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Section is authorized to conduct the exam for state employees. The exam is designed to measure skills in vocabulary, grammar, comprehension, and competency in ASL communication. However, this is not the examination used to certify an individual as a professional-level Certified Sign Language Interpreter. The ASL bilingual fluency exam is conducted in person with a panel of certified ASL examiners. The cost for the ASL fluency exam is $115.00 per competitor and includes administering the exam, issuing the examination results, and entering the results onto SPB's on-line system. If you would like additonal information or would like to schedule an employee for the ASL fluency examination, you may contact Cindy Woodrum by telephone at (916) 263-7363 or e-mail at: CWoodrum@dor.ca.gov.

Other Interpreter and Translator Certifications

The SPB has approved delegation of bilingual fluency testing to other state departments for specific languages. The following document identifies those state departments with delegated testing authority to conduct bilingual oral fluency exams for the identified non-English languages:

• Departments with Delegated Authority to Administer Bilingual Oral Fluency Exams 

Additionally, the Bilingual Services Program (BSP) has identified other approved resources that offer testing and certification for languages not available within state government. To obtain information regarding approved resources, please contact your department's bilingual services analyst or the BSP Unit at (916) 651-9017 or by e-mail at bilingual@spb.ca.gov for assistance.

Bilingual Pay

All state employees are required to take and pass a bilingual fluency examination (receive a score of 70% or above) for the applicable language to be eligible for bilingual pay. However, it should be noted that passing the bilingual fluency examination does not automatically entitle an employee to receive bilingual pay. It is the employing department's responsibility to determine whether or not an individual's job meets the Bilingual Pay Criteria and certify that the requirements have been met. The Department of Personnel Administration (DPA) is responsibile for administering the state's bilingual pay program. The Bilingual Pay Criteria is contained in the California State Civl Service Pay Scales, Section 14, Pay Differential 14. A copy of the Bilingual Pay Authorization form is being provided for your convenience.

•  Bilingual Pay Authorization Form (STD 897)  

Any questions regarding the Bilingual Pay Criteria and/or the authorization form, should be directed to the Department of Personnel Administration through the employee's Personnel Office.