154E.3  Requirements for licensure.
  Every person providing interpreting or transliterating services in this state shall be licensed pursuant to this chapter. The board shall adopt rules pursuant to chapters 17A, 147, and 272C establishing procedures for the licensing of new and existing interpreters. Prior to obtaining licensure, an applicant shall successfully pass an examination prescribed and approved by the board, demonstrating the following:
  1.  Voice-to-sign interpretation.  An applicant shall demonstrate proficiency at:
  a.  Message equivalence:  producing a true and accurate signed form of the spoken message, maintaining the integrity of content and meaning, and exhibiting few omissions, substitutions, or other errors.
  b.  Affect:  producing nonmanual grammar consistent with the intent and emotion of the speaker, and exhibiting no distracting mannerisms.
  c.  Vocabulary choice:  making correct sign choices appropriate to the setting and consumers, applying facial grammar consistent with sign choice, selecting signs that remain true to speaker’s intent, and demonstrating lexical variety.
  d.  Fluency:  displaying confidence in production, exhibiting a strong command of American sign language or manual codes for English, applying nonmanual behaviors consistent with the speaker’s intent, and demonstrating understanding of and sensitivity to cultural differences.
  2.  Sign-to-voice interpretation.  An applicant shall demonstrate proficiency at:
  a.  Message equivalence:  producing a true and accurate spoken form of the signed message, maintaining the integrity of content and meaning, and exhibiting few omissions, substitutions, or other errors.
  b.  Affect:  producing inflection consistent with the intent and emotion of the speaker, and exhibiting no distracting mannerisms.
  c.  Vocabulary choice:  making correct word choices appropriate to the setting and consumers, using vocal inflection consistent with word choice, selecting words that remain true to the speaker’s intent, and demonstrating lexical variety.
  d.  Fluency:  displaying confidence in production, exhibiting a strong command of English in both spoken and written forms, applying vocal inflections consistent with the speaker’s intent, and demonstrating understanding of and sensitivity to cultural differences.
  3.  Professional conduct.  An applicant shall demonstrate:
  a.  Proficiency in functioning as a communicator of messages between the sender and receiver and educating consumers of services about the functions and logistics of the interpreting process.
  b.  An impartial demeanor, refraining from interjecting opinions or advice and from aligning with one party over another. An applicant shall treat all people fairly and respectfully regardless of their relationship to the interpreting assignment, and present a professional appearance that is not visually distracting and is appropriate to the setting. An applicant shall exhibit knowledge and application of federal and state laws pertaining to the interpreting profession.
  c.  Integrity, and shall be proficient in understanding and applying ethical behavior appropriate for a licensee. An applicant shall demonstrate discretion in accepting and meeting interpreter services requests, and shall engage actively in lifelong learning.
2004 Acts, ch 1175, §428, 433; 2025 Acts, ch 30, §29
Referred to in §154E.3A, 154E.3B
Unnumbered paragraph 1 amended