Latest News

No court interpreters for many indigenous immigrants

Mon, 27 Aug 2018 15:31:46 GMT

TUCSON, Ariz. (CN) — Though the Trump administration touts its immigration stance as zero

tolerance, criminal illegal entry cases are dismissed daily because interpreters are not available in defendants’ native languages.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which tracks more than 1,500 “Operation Streamline” cases a month in Tucson Federal Court, are seeing three to six dismissals daily out of roughly 75 cases. The problem is mostly with indigenous Mexican and Central American languages, though African and Asian languages sometimes arise.

Why the people who serve as interpreters in Minnesota courts are not happy with Minnesota courts

Wed, 22 Aug 2018 15:12:50 GMT

On a recent evening, Rica Highers arrived a little early to set up the community room inside the

Ramsey County Library in Maplewood, where a group of interpreters were scheduled to meet the state’s top court administrator, Jeff Shorba, to discuss wages for independent spoken language interpreters working in district courts throughout Minnesota.

While Highers, an organizer with the Minnesota Newspaper and Communications Guild, arranged the chairs, she kept an eye on the door, asking the incoming attendees — most of whom were Spanish, Hmong and Somali speakers — to either take buttons and stickers that read “INTERPRETERS UNITED FOR RESPECT” and “INTERPRETERS DESERVE RESPECT.”

Interpreter trial ensures hospitals are no longer places where Aboriginal people 'go to die'

Wed, 15 Aug 2018 00:42:12 GMT

Many Aboriginal people feel like hospital is a place where they "go to die" but a

groundbreaking trial is underway to change that.

Interpreters have been introduced at hospitals in Western Australia's far north to improve patients' relationships with medical staff.

Speaking between three and nine languages each, the 22 interpreters are being stationed at five hospitals between Broome and Kununurra in a six-month State Government partnership with Aboriginal Interpreting WA.

Broome-based interpreter Ainsley O'Connor has been honing her skills since she was a teenager living in a remote community.

"I've been interpreting since I was 14 for my aunties and grandparents … on the phone to Centrelink or the bank," Ms O'Connor said.

Vicarious trauma and the professional interpreter

Thu, 19 Jul 2018 14:21:18 GMT

Imagine yourself in a situation where it is entirely your responsibility to ensure that someone

else’s voice is heard. Perhaps, that person is a refugee seeking legal aid, or a woman moving into a domestic abuse shelter, or maybe a young girl sitting in a police station describing her recent sexual assault. You are not the lawyer, social worker or detective investigating the case. Rather, you are the interpreter and it is your job to make sure the person gets the help needed.

Studies have shown that nearly all language interpreters experience some symptoms of vicarious trauma, burn out, compassion fatigue, or increased stress as a result of their repeated exposure to traumatic information and stories.

California To Study Its Medical Interpretation Services

Mon, 17 Apr 2017 17:41:06 GMT

By KPBS

More than six months after it was approved, a state assembly bill funding a study on language interpretation services available to Medi-Cal patients is slowly moving toward implementation.

The bill, authored by then-Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, authorized $3 million for state health officials to examine California’s current procedures and launch a pilot program in up to four locations.

California Department of Health Care Services Spokesman Tony Cava said employees are still developing a plan to carry out the legislation.

Read the full article.

Court Interpretation in California Goes Virtual

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 15:40:34 GMT

By Slator

A court interpreter going to the wrong court and delaying proceedings may be a thing of the past if a trial project in traditional trailblazer California takes off.

We previously covered how the state allocated a hefty USD 103m for court interpretation in its 2016–2017 state budget, and state officials are now looking to get more terp for their buck.

Read the full article.

Interpreter translates for Spanish-speakers at free clinic

Mon, 27 Mar 2017 21:03:49 GMT

By Journal Review

The man was a “walking coma.”

Staff at the Dr. Mary Ludwig Free Clinic had ordered lab tests for a new patient who had a laundry list of health problems and glucose numbers that were off the charts.

Nurse manager Michele Thompson and nurse practitioner Kay Nannet knew they had to tell the man to go to the hospital, but he didn’t speak English. So they asked Linda Johnson, the clinic’s medical interpreter, to call the patient.

Read the full article.

Alaska Court System gets first official Yup’ik interpreter

Tue, 4 Oct 2016 17:52:13 GMT

In the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta, where Yup’ik is the primary spoken language, the Alaska Court System has a new Yup’ik interpreter, who happens to be the first official interpreter for the language in the country. Crystal Garrison, who recently passed the National Center for State Courts’ written exam for Court Interpreter, has become the first Yupik speaker to do so. And she didn’t just barely pass – she got a score of 93.

Baseball's new Spanish-language translators already making a big difference

Mon, 3 Oct 2016 15:33:41 GMT

Posted by PanamericanWorld.com

When a star baseball player speaks to the hometown media, if he came from Latin America, chances are good that there is someone standing next to him, an increasingly important member of each major league franchise, and, about whom, typically, the public knows absolutely nothing.

They are the Spanish-language translators.

The translators have added a new layer to the rank-and-file of Major League Baseball. They became mandatory in January after MLB ordered each of its 30 teams to hire them to assist a growing roster of Latino ballplayers--who now make up about 30 percent of baseball players in the major leagues.

Read the full article.

Wisconsin looking to train more court interpreters while experiencing shortage

Mon, 3 Oct 2016 15:30:42 GMT

MADISON (WKOW)-- An increasing number of immigrants and refugees are moving to America's Dairyland to pursue freedom and opportunity. That increased diversity has led to a growing demand for court interpreters across the state.

Read the full article.

'To err is human'--Comical gaffes and quiet triumphs of a UN interpreter

Mon, 19 Sep 2016 18:06:28 GMT

Interpreter Anne-Catherine Boudot was a little confused as to why a speaker was repeatedly bringing up sea shells during an international gathering in Geneva, but she dutifully translated it into the French coquillages. "I spoke for a good 20 minutes," says Boudot. "All of a sudden my colleague looked at me and said 'I think they're talking about the Seychelles.'"

As leaders, old and new, gather for the United Nations annual General Assembly debate in New York City this week to outline their visions for the world, many will be listening to their words through the voices of interpreters. This can lead to some tricky — even comical — situations when issues of syntax, idioms, unknown words, accents and speed are at play.

Many Non-English Speakers Don't Get Court Interpreters

Thu, 18 Aug 2016 18:35:53 GMT

A man in a Virginia court on a traffic case was told by an interpreter he was accused of a “violación,” which in Spanish does not mean “violation,” but “rape.” The interpreter should have used the word “infracción.”The distressed man firmly denied what he thought was a rape charge. Such misunderstandings are surprisingly common in state and local courts, reports Stateline. Because many states and localities don’t use tested court interpreters and ignore federal rules for when interpreters are required, criminal defendants and civil litigants with limited English skills are not equipped to navigate the complex legal system, jeopardizing their constitutional rights.

Language barriers in health care

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 15:27:45 GMT

Some people who need to see a doctor never make an appointment, all because of the language they speak. It can be challenging for folks to explain why they need care when they don’t speak English. A local medical facility has found a solution to these problems.