In a push for higher pay, contracted interpreters across the state are canceling some of their cases as part of a phased work stoppage organized by the North Carolina Interpreter Advocacy Committee.
The current rate for certified interpreters contracted by the state court system, who are paid per assignment and operate as freelancers, is $45 per hour. Interpreters with the highest level of certification are paid $55 per hour.
The North Carolina Interpreter Advocacy Committee is requesting a pay increase from the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts that is comparable to surrounding states: South Carolina will increase pay for its certified interpreters from $65 to $75 per hour on October 1, and Virginia pays $80. It would be their third pay increase in about two decades.
“This disparity of compensation is now glaring, and it’s going to cause interpreters in North Carolina, who are certified court interpreters, to easily travel over state lines,” said Sarah Arredondo, one of the court interpreters who helped organize the North Carolina Interpreter Advocacy Committee.
The phased work stoppage only involves contracted interpreters. A handful of counties, including Durham and Wake, also have staff interpreters who work full-time in the districts they are assigned. Without the help of contractors, however, staff interpreters have bigger caseloads, and many counties solely rely on contractors.
INDY Week (9/2/26) By Tom Newby