New Mexico requires all signed language interpreters to be licensed in order to protect Deaf and Hard of Hearing consumers.
Practicing without a license is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail and/or up to a $1000 fine. Interpreting is defined as any form of facilitating communication in a visual form, regardless of the individual’s job title or position description.
Issuing Agency
Licenses are issued by the Signed Language Interpreting Practice Board (SLIPB) under the Regulation and Licensing Department (RLD). RLD is responsible for licensure of more than 200 professions in the state of New Mexico. The statute, rules, forms, and other information can be found at the SLIPB website. A searchable database of licensed interpreters in New Mexico can be found on the Regulation and Licensing Department website here. Click Verify a License > New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Web Lookup/Verification > Boards and Commissions Division > License Lookup for Boards Listed Above. Select Signed Language Interpreting Practices Board from the Profession menu and enter the first or last name of the interpreter in the License Holder Name field.
Licenses
There are three types of licenses issued by the SLIPB:
- Community – for certified interpreters holding most certifications currently recognized by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) or some certifications issued by the Board of Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI). These interpreters may work in both community and educational settings.
- Educational – for interpreters who hold the ED: K-12 credential from RID, or who meet all the requirements for the ED: K-12 credential. This license is valid only for K-12 interpreting, not for any community or post-secondary settings.
- Provisional – for interpreters who have completed an interpreter training program and are working toward certification. This license may be held for up to five years and qualifies the interpreter to work in appropriate educational and community settings.
Specialized Settings
Not all interpreters are qualified to work in all settings. Specialized training in specific skills and vocabulary are required for many types of interpreting, such as work in medical, mental health, legal, and post-secondary environments. It is the responsibility of the interpreter to only accept work for which they are qualified. This requirement is established in the Code of Professional Conduct developed by RID and the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), which is included below. Interpreters with a provisional license are almost never permitted to interpret in court, and should generally not work in mental health or legal settings.
Code of Professional Conduct
All licensed interpreters are required to adhere to the RID-NAD Code of Professional Conduct (CPC). The CPC assures accountability, responsibility, and trust to the individuals served by interpreting professionals.
Tenets
- Interpreters adhere to standards of confidential communication.
- Interpreters possess the professional skills and knowledge required for the specific interpreting situation.
- Interpreters conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the specific interpreting situation.
- Interpreters demonstrate respect for consumers.
- Interpreters demonstrate respect for colleagues, interns, and students of the profession.
- Interpreters maintain ethical business practices.
- Interpreters engage in professional development.
Further details and the full version of the CPC can be found at the RID website.
Complaints
Individuals who wish to file a complaint against an individual for interpreting without a license or for a violation of the Code of Professional Conduct may access the necessary procedure and form on the RLD website.
Anyone may file a complaint, which will then be investigated and the individual against whom the complaint is filed will have the opportunity to respond. Complaints go before the Board at their regular meetings, but all names are removed before the complaint is presented to the Board to assure neutrality. The Board has several options, ranging from dismissing the complaint, to imposing a fine, to referring the complaint to the Attorney General for prosecution.
Exemptions
The following are statutory exemptions from the licensure requirement, but nonresident interpreters and interns are required to register using forms on the SLIPB website:
- nonresident interpreters working in New Mexico less than thirty calendar days per year;
- interpreting in religious or spiritual settings;
- interpreting in informal settings for friends, families or guests;
- interpreting in emergency situations where the deaf, hard-of-hearing or deaf-blind person or that person’s legal representative decides that the delay necessary to obtain a licensed interpreter is likely to cause injury or loss to the consumer;
- the activities of a supervised interpreter intern or student who is enrolled in an interpreter education program; or
- multilingual interpreting in order to accommodate the personal choice of the consumer.
Statutory Authority
The Signed Language Interpreting Practices Act is §61-34-1 NMSA 1978 and can be accessed via the SLIPB website. Penalty and sentencing authority citations are as follows.
61-34-15. Penalties.
A person who violates a provision of the Signed Language Interpreting Practices Act is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be sentenced pursuant to Section 31-19-1 NMSA 1978.
31-19-1. Sentencing authority[;] misdemeanors; imprisonment and fines; probation.
A. Where the defendant has been convicted of a crime constituting a misdemeanor, the judge shall sentence the person to be imprisoned in the county jail for a definite term less than one year or to the payment of a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or to both such imprisonment and fine in the discretion of the judge.
Applying for a License
Visit the “Interpreter Licensure” section of the Fact Sheets page for detailed instructions about applying for and renewing licenses on Fact Sheets entitled Applying for a New Mexico Interpreting License and Renewing a New Mexico Interpreting License.
Extensions and Reinstatements
Interpreters who held Provisional Licenses that are expired and are eligible for the extension that the SLIPB made available early in the COVID-19 pandemic are encouraged to apply for reinstatement and request the extension.
Interpreters who still hold valid Provisional Licenses and are eligible for the extension are encouraged to request it if they have not already done so.
Who is eligible for the extension?
Provisional licensees that would reach their final expiration between November 1, 2019 and December 31, 2026 are eligible for the extension. The extension will move the final expiration date to three years after the end of the Public Health Emergency, which is March 31, 2026. (Note that those eligibility dates were set prior to the end of the Public Health Emergency. Only interpreters whose final expiration is before March 2026 will benefit.)
To request the extension for a license that is current, follow these steps:
Submit a written statement requesting an extension via email to the Board’s Administrator at signlanguage.board@rld.nm.gov.
The written statement should inform the Board of the circumstances surrounding their request for an extension. Find additional details in the document titled May 9, 2023 Amended Public Notice here.
Interpreters granted the extension will still need to renew their Provisional License each year until the final expiration date.
To apply for reinstatement and the extension, follow these steps:
Complete the Reinstatement Application form and mail it with all required documentation and payment to the address at the bottom of page one of the application.
In the statement about why the license lapsed, also include the request for the extension so both can be considered and approved at the same time.
The reinstatement form can be found under “Application for Licensure” here.
Additional Information
For additional detailed information about interpreter licensure in New Mexico, please see the Fact Sheet entitled Signed Language Interpreter Licensure: History and Purpose in the “Interpreter Licensure” section of our Fact Sheets page.
If you have additional questions about licensure of signed language interpreters, please contact:
Trevor Brennan
Community Engagement Specialist
Trevor.Brennan@cdhh.nm.gov
New Mexico Signed Language Interpreting Practices Board
Toney Anaya Building
2550 Cerrillos Road, Second Floor
Santa Fe, NM 87504
Phone: 505.476.4622
SignLanguage.Board@rld.nm.gov