1827, the Court Interpreters Act of 1978. So far there are federal certification programs for Spanish, Haitian Creole and Navajo. In the states the situation varies widely. Washington, for example, has established certification for seven languages. New Jersey has made great strides towards establishing standards.
Many states have no certification at all.
Some are trying. New Jersey, Washington, Minnesota, Oregon, Virginia, New Mexico, Maryland and Utah have formed a consortium to pool resources for establishing standards and testing. The National Center for State Courts has aided these efforts by hosting brainstorming sessions and publishing a how-to guide that contains, among other things, a model certification statute and a wealth of practical information about managing court interpreting. The value of interpreter certification, moreover, depends on the validity of the testing methodology and other certification requirements. Some states use court interpreter examinations that are of dubious validity.