Arkansas.

Licensure (Yes/No)

Yes

Registration (Yes/No)

Yes

Regulation (Yes/No)

Yes

• Education.
• Courts.
• State Agencies.
• Medical.
• All venues. (Recent legislation now allows for state licensure forallsettings)

Interpreters in the educational setting must meet or exceed the following criteria:

– College degree preferred or high school diploma, or equivalency as well
– Passing score of 80% on the written test regarding information in the Arkansas Handbook for Educational Interpreters/Transliterators, Teachers, and Administrators
– Minimum Level of 3 in Transliterating on the Mid-America Quality Assurance
Screening Test (QAST) and Level 2 in Interpreting or minimum QAST Level 3 in Interpreting and QAST Level 2 in Transliterating

Annual renewal required.

Initial Application and licensure fee: $125
Annual fee: $90
Upgrade fee: $35
Annual late fee: $25
Replacement card fee: $10
Insufficient funds fee: $35

Complaints may be filed when an individual, hiring agency, or interpreting agency commits one of the following:

• Violates the Professional Code of Conduct.
• Engages in the practice of interpreting without a license (fine of $100-500 which may be waived if the interpreter becomes licensed within thirty (30) days).
• Knowingly hires an interpreter who is not qualified (fine of $500- 1000)

Number of Board Members: 7

Term Limits:

Three-year terms with no more than two (2) consecutive terms.

Seven (7) members appointed by the Director of the Department of Health:

• Four (4) licensed qualified interpreters appointed from a list of eight (8) submitted by the Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf in conjunction with the Arkansas Association of the Deaf.
• Two (2) members appointed from a list of four (4) submitted by the Arkansas Association of the Deaf in conjunction with the Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf who are deaf persons, hard of hearing persons, or oral deaf persons not licensed under this subchapter.
• One (1) member appointed from a list of two (2) submitted by the Arkansas Association of the Deaf in conjunction with the Arkansas Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf who are neither individuals who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or oral deaf and who are not licensed under this subchapter. Each member shall serve a term of three (3) years. A member shall not serve more than two (2) consecutive terms.
• Four (4) members of the board constitute a quorum for the transaction of business of the board. If a vacancy occurs on the board, the director shall appoint to complete the term vacated a person who possesses the same qualifications as those required for the position to which he or she is appointed.

Licensure Application: https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/arkansas-interpreter-licensure-application
Rules & Regulations: http://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/aboutADH/RulesRegs/InterpretersRule.pdf