With data from the National Center for Immigration Studies showing that the population of people who speak a language other than English at home grew by 140 percent in Mississippi between 1980 to 2018, the Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) is seeking bilingual speakers to interpret courtroom proceedings.
A seminar on ethics and skill-building will be held from November 2 – 4 at the Gartin Justice Building, 450 High Street in Jackson. The seminar will introduce bilingual speakers to requirements for court interpreting.
Candidates to become interpreters must already be fluent in English as well as a second language and must develop an understanding of court proceedings. The seminar will provide an introduction to court proceedings and orient participants to the role of the court foreign language interpreter, ethical requirements, modes of interpretation, and credentialing requirements.
“When a person of limited English proficiency is involved in a legal proceeding, it is imperative that they be provided a qualified court interpreter. A court interpreter is not only for an LEP to understand the proceedings, but also so a judge can effectively administer justice,” Deenie Miller, the AOC’s first full-time Language Access Coordinator, said.
Anyone who wishes to apply to become an interpreter can click here. The registration deadline is Monday, October 24.
Participants should arrive at the Gartin Justice Building by 12 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2 to sign in. The Wednesday presentation will be from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Class on Thursday will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Friday class will be from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The AOC developed the Mississippi Court Interpreter Credentialing Program to assist state courts in their endeavors to provide equal access to justice for people of limited English proficiency (LEP). AOC provides all state courts with a roster of foreign language interpreters who have demonstrated proficiency in interpretation of court proceedings.
