Legal Translator

Arapahoe County • Greenwood Village, CO

1d • $33 - $50

About The Position

The Arapahoe County government serves its communities in ways both obvious and obscure. As the beating heart of local and regional government, we’re here for our neighbors on their best days—and their worst. We share our residents’ goals of preserving our quality of life and strive to be the place we’re proud to call home.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF JOB:The Legal Translator is responsible for accurately translating written and spoken legal materials between languages, ensuring linguistic precision, cultural relevance, and legal integrity. This role supports legal professionals by providing certified translations, interpreting communications, maintaining accurate records, and, when necessary, offering testimony in legal proceedings.
This role performs basic, supportive paralegal duties when not performing translation responsibilities.

Requirements

• Knowledge of different language dialects and cultural nuances. Ability to accurately interpret and translate between languages orally and in writing. Extensive understanding of language, grammar and translation techniques.
• Possess considerable knowledge of the criminal justice system, standard legal/court procedures and terminology.
• Possess strong listening, comprehension, written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and ethical standards.
• Accountability
• Accessibility
• Inclusivity
• Integrity
• Bachelor’s Degree in language studies or related field
• 2+ years of criminal justice interpretation and translation experience.
• Fluency in Spanish language.
• Possess court certification in translation and interpretation or ability to obtain court certification for translation and interpretation.
• Any equivalent combination of education and work experience that satisfy the requirements of the job will be considered.  (Example: HS/GED and 6 yrs experience)
• Must successfully pass pre-employment testing which may include an acceptable motor vehicle record (MVR) and background check.
• Security clearance required:  will require fingerprinting and a Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) background check
• Must successfully pass Spanish tests for speaking, reading, and writing OR provide proof of court certification in translation and interpretation.

Nice To Haves

• Fluency in a second language, such as Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese or Russian preferred.

Responsibilities

• Produce certified translations of interviews, transcripts, recordings and other legal documents or related materials with precision and cultural sensitivity. Edit and proofread translated content for clarity, consistency, legal compliance and grammatical accuracy.
• Interpret various types of communication between District Attorney staff and victims, witnesses or other case related participants in real time.
• Maintain accurate records of all translations and ensure document integrity. Maintain records related to interpretation requests.
• Collaborate with peers to ensure consistency in language usage and terminology. Conduct terminology and cultural research to ensure translation accuracy.
• Review non-English written or recorded items to determine if content is of evidentiary value and should be formally translated for use in prosecution case.
• Provide testimony in court proceedings when required.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level