If English is not your first language, a fair trial may depend on the services of a little-known member of the legal system called a court interpreter.

Court interpreters are not new. The famous Amistad trial in 1840 employed interpreters, and courtrooms built in the early 1800s were designed to accommodate them. But only since 1978 have the states been required by federal law to certify interpreters and to maintain lists of certified interpreters who can be called in to assist litigants in civil and criminal cases to ensure fair representation. These include spoken languages as well as sign language for the hearing impaired.

The interpreter interprets everyone – the voice of the judge, the litigants, the attorneys, constantly switching individuals. The ability to think on two tracks and maintain your concentration is very critical and has to be developed. It would be apparent in the testing process whether a person can handle it.

Testing for certification includes a written examination, an oral proficiency interview and an oral certification examination. The object is to challenge the candidate’s ability in three areas: simultaneous interpretation of conversations in real time; consecutive interpretation of sentences or phrases in sequence; and translation of written communications.

At the same time as striving for technical accuracy, interpreters must also find ways to express the human dimension of a court case. Emotional proceedings have to be reflected to the court as well. Interpreters are not asked to laugh or cry, but they do need to convey emotional content.Some intonation is needed to convey the true meaning of the words as in, for example, the expression of sarcasm.

The noble aspiration of helping people in need may sustain some interpreters through the rigors of certification and the stress of the courtroom.  But Lehman, who is certified court interpreter,
thinks the real motivation is more direct.

“Love for the language and of communication is really the basis of everything you’re doing,” Lehman said. “I don’t think just the desire to help alone would carry the day for someone to do what is necessary to get the skill level to interpret. You have to be intrigued with language and the expression of ideas.”

See: Frederick News Post