Carola E. Green
Wanda Romberger
Deborah W. Saunders
The state court community has long been cognizant of the need for the effective use of court interpreters to improve access to justice for Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals. Demographic trends make it clear that the American judicial system faces mounting difficulties in meeting the challenge of ethnic and linguistic diversity. In an effort to move towards greater awareness of these challenges, combined with the determination to implement programs to improve interpreting services, a growing number of state court systems have instituted certification and continuing education programs and have prescribed codes of professional responsibility for court interpreters. The Consortium for Language Access in the Courts, established in 1995 and administered by The National Center for State Courts, was created for states to share expertise and the expense associated with developing and administering testing and certification programs for interpreters.
Links to related online resources are listed below. Non-digitized publications may be borrowed from the NCSC Library; call numbers are provided.
Presentation from the Sixth National Court Technology Conference regarding the use of telephone interpretation.
A compilation of the National Association for Court Management's Justice Achievement Awards from 2000-2011.
These standards intended to assist courts in designing, implementing, and enforcing a comprehensive system of language access services that is suited to the needs of the communities they serve.
This translation guide was compiled and edited by the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts’ Professional Issues Committee, a committee of volunteers dedicated to advancing the work of the state courts’ language access programs. It is meant to compile some lessons learned by program managers over the years and serve as a guide to help other program managers move forward with translation projects within their own court system.
This Judicial Bench Card gives guidance on providing qualified interpreters to assist the parties in protection order proceedings so that petitioners with limited English proficiency are on equal footing before the bench.
This manual, designed especially for court interpreters, covers basic security; the cycle and dynamics of aggression; in-court and out-of-court proceedings; defendant and inmate issues; weapons; travel to and from the workplace, as well as domestic and international travel; dealing with emergencies; personal safety.
Explains court interpreting services in state and federal courts by examining the Consortium, whose purpose is to find qualified interpreters through rigorous testing.
Due to the influx of immigrants and refugees in the U.S., courts must eliminate linguistic barriers to ensure fair access to justice. This educational program for judges, attorneys and court managers teaches several aspects of court interpretation (such as the role of the interpreter, findings of court Task Forces, etc.) to ensure efficiency, understanding and cooperation.
Improving access to justice for linguistic minorities is but one of many challenges facing courts as the century draws to a close, and the financial capacity of most state courts is inadequate to address them all effectively. This resource book examines language interpretation problems and responses at several levels -- courtroom, local, state, and national.
This report highlights best practices in the delivery of court interpreter services.
A technical assistance report of an operational review of the Administrative Office of the Trial Court of Massachusetts. NCSC staff provides 26 recommendations to improve operations.
This report examines the issue of providing a deaf-hearing interpreting team as a reasonable accommodation in specific situations where a hearing interpreter alone is not sufficient.
This publication offers an overview of the essential factors needed to properly implement meaningful court access to LEP individuals. It includes a self-assessment for all federal agencies regarding their LEP plans, as well as develops language access directives, plans, and procedures.
This letter dated August 16, 2010 clarifies application of Title VI and the Safe Streets Act regulations to language access in the courts. “DOJ has an abiding interest in securing state and local court system compliance with the language access requirements of Title VI and the Safe Streets Act and will continue to review courts for compliance and to investigate complaints.”
This study explored the capacity of Limited English Proficient (LEP) petitioners to receive orders of protection. The primary language resource that should be provided by the courts is interpretation, preferably carried out by certified interpreters.