Thread: Courtroom Interpreters in Short Supply

Sep 26, 2:32 PM EDT


Courtroom Interpreters in Short Supply

By JAY REEVES
Associated Press Writer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Federal court interpreter Teresa Thorpe spoke Spanish softly into a microphone as one Hispanic defendant after another stepped forward.

The scene was typical of U.S. courts that are struggling to break down the language barrier between an English-speaking legal system and the growing number of Spanish-speaking immigrants. What was unusual was Thorpe's commute to work: She had to be flown to Birmingham from Kentucky because of a shortage of qualified interpreters in the Southeast.

Alabama is among 20 states with two or fewer people who are legally certified to act as Spanish-language interpreters in federal courts. The shortage around the country is so bad that interpreters often have to be flown in from out of state, sometimes for proceedings that take no more than a few minutes.

The federal courts require language specialists to undergo more training and testing than state courts. When certified interpreters aren't available, officials try to fill the gap with telephone interpretation or, sometimes, less-qualified interpreters.

But often, experts like Thorpe are hired to travel between states and court districts to both provide oral interpretation and translate documents during court proceedings. They are paid $355 a day, plus airfare and other expenses.

Laura Garcia-Hein, a certified interpreter from Louisville, Ky., frequently makes the trip to Alabama to interpret for Spanish-speaking people charged with crimes. She has also been to Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina and Tennessee to work.

"There are many of us who do a lot of traveling," she said. "You have people going from Louisiana to Montana to interpret for a trial."

While some judicial districts have interpreters on the staff, the federal system spent about $9.8 million last year to hire interpreters on a contract basis, according to the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts.

Richard Carelli, a spokesman for the court system in Washington, said roving interpreters aren't unusual in areas where the Spanish-speaking population is still relatively small.

"Unfortunately it's sort of a market-based system," Carelli said. "In towns like Birmingham, there's probably not enough business to keep them busy. In places like New York, it's very different."

Despite Alabama's fast-growing Spanish-speaking population of more than 120,000, the Administrative Office lists just one interpreter certified to work in federal courts in the state.

Five other states also have just one certified interpreter: Arkansas, Delaware, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska; four have only two: Indiana, Maine, Michigan and Oklahoma; and 10 have none at all - Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming, according to the court system.

Ten Southeastern states have only 113 of the nation's 942 certified interpreters, and 83 of them are in Florida or Virginia.

Isabel Framer, a board member of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators, said being bilingual isn't the same thing as being able to give accurate, real-time interpretations of complicated court proceedings.

Many people cannot afford the specialized training that is needed to pass the two-part test for certification, since it can cost upward of $3,000, she said.

"The main reason we have a shortage is that there is no money available to train certified interpreters," said Framer, of Copley, Ohio. "You have to do it on your own."

At the Hugo L. Black Courthouse in Birmingham, the shortage of certified interpreters has turned assistant clerk Sharon Blocker into a combination personnel recruiter and travel agent. Blocker is constantly trying to line up new interpreters and make travel arrangements for those who have to be brought in from out of state.

"I try to stay with interpreters who are on a Southwest Airline schedule because they are cheaper and it is easier to change tickets with them," Blocker said.

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We know what this means don't we folks, the next time they post the top 10 jobs in America, Spanish interpeters will be at the top of the list!