The Johnson County Daily Journal today has an interesting article headlined "State certification offered for interpreting in court." Some quotes:
Being a successful court interpreter requires more than a few foreign-language classes or casual conversations on the street.More information about the program can be found by starting here on the Indiana Courts website. Links to useful online resources, including study guides, can be found via this link.Court interpreters must also learn complex legal terms and have a working knowledge of car equipment, mortgages, body parts or whatever else might come up in court.
Knowing the difference between a burrito in Mexico and one in Puerto Rico might also be required.
“You never know what kind of case you’re going to get,” said Roselia Skeem, a full-time county court employee who has served as an interpreter. “A person has to keep on their toes about everything law-related and constantly be working on vocabulary.”
Court interpreters can find themselves explaining forms, giving directions or translating words spoken by attorneys, judges and court administrators almost simultaneously.
They do not need to be certified to interpret. However, Indiana has created a four-month certification program to establish a database of court interpreters.
Five people have been certified so far between both tests conducted annually in March, according to Jana Matthews, staff attorney for the supreme court administration.
“Our passage rate isn’t high, but we want to have the best,” Matthews said. “They need to have a good grasp on what they’ll be doing.”
While the amount of non-English-speaking defendants has been steadily rising in the past decade, the state has lagged behind on developing a court interpreter system.
To get certified, applicants must register and take seminars on such topics as legal terminology and basic interpretation before taking a final exam in March.
Indiana’s Supreme Court recommended the program be formed after a commission reported in mid-2001 that the state was not prepared to deal with people who don’t speak English or have limited understanding of the language. * * *