By Jordan Simoes

On July 18, 2025, the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology (BBC) issued a Notice of Proposed Action that states its intent to alter the interpreter standard for examiners. Currently, section 931, Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations (CCR) allows for an interpreter to be used once every two years to assist in examinations of licensees. Because the BBC has a diverse applicant pool and licensing demographic, there are speakers who need extra support in taking licensing exams, especially because California is such a hot spot for relocating persons. Often, exams beyond English, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese are needed, and those four languages are the only written exams available as per Business and Professions Code section 7312(a)(6).

To address these concerns, BBC suggests allowing interpreters to perform their duties with exam takers once per year, instead of once every two years. The Board, as shown in the Proposed Language document, primarily seeks to amend section 931(d) to reflect this initiative. In their proposed language, the Board also defines the standards for “once per year,” which is calculated from an interpreter’s last signature on previous interpreter applications.

This decision by the BBC is rooted in transparency and fairness. According to the Initial Statement of Reasons, the Board asserts that this regulation would provide examiners with greater access to interpreters. This is especially helpful to speed up the re-examination process for test-takers who need interpretation. Allowing an interpreter to serve once per year also prevents fraud in the system, which is a primary concern for interpreters involved in licensing and other board-related exams.

BBC’s February 10, 2025 meeting minutes provided a notice about amending section 931, Title 16 of the CCR which details interpreter usage during licensing exams for California agency boards. At the meeting, a motion to cancel the old rule regarding interpreters and adopt the proposed version was set forth with no objections and no public comment. The Board issued a 45-day public comment period and possible hearing request, although no further updates have been made as of October 2025.