Interpreter, Sign Language Licensing
States Licensed
22
of 50 states and D.C.
Burden Rank
16th
for average burdens 1st is worst
Combined Rank
65th
for states licensed x average burdens 1st is worst
Change from 2017 to 2022, if any:
- ↑
- Burden increased
- ↓
- Burden decreased
- ↕
- Mixed burden change
- N
- New license
- E
- Eliminated license
2022 Licensing Burden Rank
How does my state compare to others?
Compare NowDefinition
Sign language interpreters translate or transliterate sign language into another language or vice versa. 1 Where requirements vary by work setting, we observe the “community,” or general setting, rather than specialized settings like medicine, education or law.2022 Snapshot
- 29 unlicensed states
- Days lost range from 0 (8 states) to 1,460 (7 states)
- Fees range from $210 (Utah) to $1,256 (Maine)
- 22 states require 1+ exam
- 18 states set minimum age
- 10 states set minimum grade
Changes Since 2017
- No licenses created or removed
- Fees changed most often and changes were evenly split between increases and decreases; 4 states reduced education, while Arkansas and Illinois raised it
- Burden rank and combined rank improved 3 spots because of large fee and education reductions
2022 Licensing Burden in Detail
Data Notes: 2022 data collected between February 3, 2020, and March 18, 2022. Fees include charges for application review and license issuance; exams; background checks, credit reports and fingerprinting; recovery fund contributions; third-party certification; and certain fees for training courses. Calendar days lost were estimated based on required education and experience; except for amounts smaller than one day, days lost are rounded to whole days and thus may not reflect very small changes between 2017 and 2022. Appendix A details methods for estimating days lost and calculating burden ranks. Complete data, including revised 2017 data, are available at https://ij.org/report/license-to-work-3/ltw3-data/.