Transcriptionist

Job Summary
The Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County (Court), which includes adult and juvenile probation, is looking for a responsive and responsible qualified candidate to perform Transcription & Translation services in a variety of areas including, but not limited to: Audio/Video recordings or police and forensic interviews, 911 calls, confrontation calls, jail video visitations, body-worn camera footage, undercover recordings, wiretaps, court documents, affidavits, letters, forms, transcripts, and brochures.

Services are provided in all case types and in a variety of settings including, but not limited to: initial appearances; arraignments; pre-trial hearings; trials, sentencing hearings; settlement disputes; attorney/client interviews; pre-sentence investigation interviews; post-conviction matters; counseling/treatment services; meeting with probation officers; arbitration; mediation; expedited visitation; parent information classes; conciliation; family law; probate matters; and other assignments/services as needed and/or ordered.

Responsibilities

• Provide a faithful translation and transcription of every utterance given by the speaker and not omit or add to the versions they transcribe or translate, nor change the register, tone, or intent of versions.
• Ensure all source language texts prepared by the transcriber shall be verbatim and direct, including all filler words, such as “um” and “uh”, without resorting to the third person or describing or commenting on the text, either marginally or in footnotes, beyond the need of a transcriber’s note referring to language issues.
• Ensure all target language texts prepared by the translator shall be direct, without resorting to the third person, describing, or commenting on the text, either marginally or in footnotes, beyond the need of a translator’s note referring to language issues.
• Refer to themself as “the transcriber” and/or “the translator” when including a transcriber’s/translator’s note.
• Identify all utterances spoken or written in the target language so that the reader may see that the text is the product of the source text’s speaker/author and not the transcriber/translator. This is typically accomplished by italicizing the text.
• Not disclose the nature of the material transcribed/translated to anyone outside of the requesting agency other than linguistic consultations with colleagues and supervisors.
• Be expected to be monitored by CITS for linguistic quality assurance and adherence to ethical and professional standards. If CITS determines there are violations of quality and/or ethical/professional standards, an incident report will be issued with corrective action and sanctions up to and including suspension of services.
• Listen to the entire recording to be transcribed and identify all segments to be transcribed per the official Transcription/Translation guidelines provided by the Court, unless given explicit instructions to only transcribe certain segments of the recording. Any timestamps provided, unless otherwise stated at the time of assignment, are estimates only.
• Be responsible for calculating the actual recording time transcribed.
• Follow all style and formatting requirements as provided by the Court.
• Complete all assignments on or before the agreed-upon deadline unless approved in writing by the Court in advance of the deadline.
• Ensure that the submitted documents are professional, visually acceptable, and legible.
• Spellcheck, proofread, and edit work products before submitting.
• Ensure that work returned to the Court is certified. Work returned to the Court may be proofread and evaluated by staff translators.
• Ensure that work is complete and accurate.

Scheduling Requirements For Interpretation Services

• Arrive at least ten (10) minutes prior to the scheduled assignment for in-person events and virtual/remote events, unless instructed otherwise by CITS. An interpreter who is late to an assignment shall be paid a pro-rated fee deducting the amount of time late from the time originally requested by the Court.
• Half-day rates: Events may be scheduled for half-days (4 hours) either mornings (8 am-12 pm) or afternoons (1 pm-5 pm).
• Full-day rates: Events may be scheduled for full-days (8 hours) with up to 1-hour unpaid meal break.
• Remote Video Interpreting: The Court may request a remote video interpretation event when the location of the event does not warrant the use of an in-person interpreter. The request will be scheduled in the same manner as all other interpreter requests.
• Telephonic On-Demand Interpreting: The Court may utilize On-Demand telephonic interpreting to provide attorneys, judges, and court staff with access to a phone bank of interpreters that provide multiple languages on-demand.
• Telephonic scheduled interpreting: The Court may request a telephonic scheduled interpreting event when an in-person or remote video interpreter is unavailable. The request will be scheduled in the same manner as all other interpreter requests.

Qualifications

• Demonstrate proficiency in English and the non-English language through a language testing service at a superior level, or a minimum score of ten (10) on the ALTA testing scale (or equivalent testing scale), in understanding, reading, and writing skills; provide copies of certification.
• Possess at least a high school diploma or equivalent (a professional degree in Translation or B.A. in English or the foreign language is preferred); provide copies of diplomas and/or degrees.
• Comply with the American Translators Association Code of Ethics and Professional Practice.
• Use Express Scribe software, as this is the software used by the Court to identify time stamps for start/stop locations on a recording or other transcription software deemed acceptable in the future.
• Use Microsoft Word and submit all work in .docx format or the latest Microsoft Word format.
• Have experience transcribing audio/video recordings conducted in a foreign language, American Sign Language (ASL), and/or English, as well as translating legal documents, transcripts, forms, brochures, and other types of instruments used in Court.
• Provide a Certification Statement. The Certification Statement shall include the following, per American Translator Association guidelines.

1. A statement of the translator’s qualifications.

2. A statement affirming the completeness and accuracy of the document.

3. Identification of the translated document and language.

4 The translator’s name, signature, and date.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $28.00 - $31.00 per hour

Schedule:

• 4 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Weekends as needed

Work Location: In person