Special to The Mississippi Monitor
The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) will offer a free two-day seminar to train court interpreters on October 15-16. For the first time, the program will be offered remotely via ZOOM.
The registration deadline for the course is October 1. To register, visit bit.ly/4greu7G.
Candidates for the program must already be fluent in English and a second language and must be willing to develop an understanding of legal terms and court proceedings. Participation in the Ethics and Skill Building Workshop is the first step in the Mississippi Court Interpreter Credentialing Program, which trains, tests and qualifies individuals who wish to pursue court interpreting. The workshop will introduce the candidates to requirements for foreign language interpreting in court settings. The seminar will cover the role of the court interpreter, ethical requirements, modes of interpretation and credentialing requirements.
“We have been working to offer training remotely, because it is not convenient for everyone to come to Jackson for the mandatory two-day Ethics and Skills Building Workshop,” said Deenie Miller, director of language access at the Administrative Office of Courts. “We are delighted to have De La Mora Institute of Interpretation provide this live workshop remotely via Zoom.”
The first free in-person workshop AOC offered in May resulted in record attendance.
“We need interpreters throughout the state,” said Miller. “We want to remove potential barriers for bilingual individuals to participate in our program. One barrier was the fee for participation in the workshop. When we were able to remove that barrier, the results were astonishing. We added twenty-two new interpreters to our roster.”
“We cannot wait to see how offering the workshop remotely will impact the number of candidates who are able to attend,” continued Miller. “Individuals who live hours away from Jackson have to make travel arrangements to attend an in-person workshop. That is not something everyone is able to do. Our hope is that offering live, remote training will remove another barrier from those interested in pursuing our program.”
A legislative appropriation to the Administrative Office of Courts Court Interpreter Credentialing Program allows the program to be offered at no cost to participants.
The 2023 Mississippi Legislature revised laws regarding language interpreters to provide language access assistance for people of limited English proficiency. The recent law changes mandate court appointment of a qualified interpreter in all cases, criminal and civil, at no cost to the limited English proficient participant in litigation, with the cost borne by the county or municipality. Revisions to the statutes clarified that limited English proficient individuals are entitled to use an interpreter in any instance arising out of or pertaining to the individual’s involvement in litigation.
For more information, contact Miller at deenie.miller@courts.ms.gov.