Court Interpretation: Model Guides for Policy and Practice in the State Courts

• NCJ Number: 154826
• Author(s): W E Hewitt
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 255 pages
• Grant Number(s): SJI-91-12A-B-087
• Sponsoring Agency: State Justice Institute
• Corporate Author: National Ctr for State Courts
• Sale Source: National Ctr for State Courts; National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report examines the nature and scope of management problems related to language interpretation services in the State courts; describes responses at the courtroom, local, State, and national levels; and presents a model court interpreter law.

Abstract

The analysis concludes that the cost of improving the quality of interpreter services is a crucial issue and that for most courts, the problems related to interpreter services are beyond affordable solution at the individual trial court level due to inadequate expertise and financial capacity. Therefore, creative policy and management strategies, the willingness to undertake a long-term initiative, and a pragmatic attitude about achieving a balance between optimum and wholly unsatisfactory services are required to make progress. The discussion notes that court interpretation services are especially well suited to resource and service sharing regionally, statewide, interstate, and where appropriate, across courts of State and Federal jurisdiction. Charts, resource lists, and suggested readings