Cities and counties in metro Atlanta are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on interpreter services in local courts for defendants who don’t speak English.

Gwinnett County, which has one of the most diverse populations in the region, spent $539,803 in 2009 on interpreters in its court system, according to figures supplied by the county to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Cobb’s Superior Court spent $255,563 last year.

The issue arose most recently in Alpharetta, whose City Council was presented last week with a contract for up to $40,000 for interpreter services in municipal court for fiscal 2011, up from about $27,500 in the previous year.

Georgia law requires that all defendants who lack skills in English be provided an interpreter. However, there is no uniform statewide compensation system. If the court approves a pauper’s affidavit in any civil case, an interpreter is furnished at no cost.

The Supreme Court of Georgia has adopted rules providing that “cost can be assessed when appropriate.” This allows the court to charge the cost of the interpreter — unless it is an interpreter under the American Disability Act — back to the defendant.

The cost and need for interpreters has run steady the past several years, said Jane Gaguski, court administrator.

“The only short cut we are considering is to only provide an interpreter for specific scheduled court appearance dates,” she said. “This would require the court to give a non-English speaking person a written notice [usually in Spanish] to return to court on a date when an interpreter will be available.”

See: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution