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March 5, 2010

Sure He's Bilingual, But Does He Know Double Jeopardy?

~ written by Bruno Romero

For most monolinguals, interpreting appears to be an easy task, but it is actually quite complicated and demanding. To be a good court interpreter a person needs thorough knowledge of two languages and two cultures and much more, including linguistic sophistication of a college-level education in both languages. The interpreter must also possess an arsenal of words, expressions, technical jargon, idioms slang, metaphors and other linguistic peculiarities. Additionally, the interpreter must possess technical skill.

The court plays a crucial role in overseeing the recruitment of court interpreters, but what is the responsibility of the attorney? If a bad interpreter is selected, does the attorney become an accomplice to disaster? How can attorneys avoid ineffective assistance of counsel?

This brief CLE program is intended for attorneys working with interpreters to understand exactly how to select and use court interpreters. To register for the 3.0 CLE hour seminar scheduled for March 25 (held from 1:30pm to 4:45pm), visit www.cbalaw.org/cle or call 614/221.4112.