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The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts will introduce bilingual speakers to the requirements for court interpreting during a seminar scheduled for Sept. 12-13 in Jackson.
The Ethics and Skill Building Seminar will be held at the Mississippi Supreme Court, 450 High Street in Jackson. The program will be in the First Floor Training Room.
The registration deadline has been extended to Sept. 6. A registration fee of $100 includes the seminar and lunch for both days. The registration form is at this link:https://courts.ms.gov/aoc/courtinterpreter/forms/Registration%20Form%20Sept%2012%202019.pdf.
The AOC court interpreter credentialing program has been in operation for almost eight years. The AOC conducts two or three seminars each year.
Participation in a court language interpreter seminar is the first step in the program which will test individuals who wish to serve as interpreters in Mississippi courtrooms. Candidates to become interpreters must already be fluent in English and a second language, and must develop an understanding of court proceedings. The seminar will provide an introduction to court proceedings. The program will introduce participants to the role of the court language interpreter, ethical requirements, modes of interpretation and credentialing requirements.
Participants should arrive by 8 a.m. Sept. 12 to sign in. Presentations are scheduled 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days.
The AOC developed the Mississippi Court Interpreter Credentialing Program to assist state courts in their endeavors to provide equal access to justice for limited English proficiency individuals.
AOC Deputy Director Lisa Counts said, “For people of limited English proficiency, understanding and exercising their legal rights may be difficult and could result in the denial of meaningful access to the justice system. It is the responsibility of the courts to ensure meaningful access to justice for all people in the United States, whether the person speaks English or another language. Our Constitution and laws demand it.”
The AOC program provides all state courts with a list of language interpreters who have demonstrated proficiency in oral and written interpretation of court proceedings. The credentialing program provides two levels of proficiency: registered and certified. Certified is the more advanced level. The registry is at this link: https://courts.ms.gov/aoc/courtinterpreter/registry.php.
AOC adopted Standards for Court Interpreters and a Code of Ethics for Court Interpreters on Oct. 17, 2011. The rules for court interpreters apply to municipal court, justice court, youth court, county court, circuit court, chancery court and grand jury proceedings. Additional information about the interpreter program may be found at this link:https://courts.ms.gov/aoc/courtinterpreter/courtinterpreter.php.
Twenty-four interpreters currently are credentialed by AOC. Languages include Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Portuguese. Credentialed interpreters include 22 Spanish speakers, one Portuguese speaker, and one who speaks Mandarin Chinese. There is a need for Vietnamese speakers, but none have been credentialed yet.
For additional information, contact Administrative Office of Courts Deputy Director Lisa Counts at lcounts@courts.ms.gov.