Language Access in State Courts

Abel, Laura

doi:10.2139/ssrn.1532807

Cited by 12 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…All too often, their access to vital services including health care—and even their ability to exercise simple rights —are limited by the inability of service providers to communicate in, or to secure the services of those who can communicate in, languages other than English . For example, recent reports suggest that language barriers (including the scarcity of interpreters and the absence of forms and information in languages other than English) are a particular obstacle to due process in state and federal courts (Abel, ). As a society, we have an obligation to do better, by educating a pool of experts who read, write, understand, and speak a wide range of languages and by deploying them when and where they are needed most.…”

Section: Rising Demandmentioning

confidence: 99%

America's languages: The future of language advocacy

Rivers¹,

Brecht

2018

Foreign Language Annals

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In honor of the 50th Anniversary of Foreign Language Annals, and recognizing the seminal role this journal has in informing the language education profession about policies and programs, we sketch a future for advocacy for language education in the United States. Drawing on the Languages for All initiative and the work of the Commission on Language Learning of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, we reprise a vision for building a multilingual society presented 3 decades ago for Australia, another English‐dominant society, where every child can master English, every child has the opportunity to learn the language spoken at home, all children can learn other languages if they choose, and language services continue to be provided to all who need them. We propose advocating for this vision on the basis of the impact of bilingualism and education and employment, on recent promising developments in language education, and on the rising demand among the stakeholders in the public and private sectors to meet domestic and global needs.

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Section: Rising Demandmentioning

confidence: 99%

America's languages: The future of language advocacy

Rivers¹,

Brecht

2018

Foreign Language Annals

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“…In Laura Abel's (2009) study for the Brennan Center for Justice, she and her colleagues examined interpreting services in 35 state courts and discovered that:…”

Section: The Scope Of the Problem In State And Federal Us Courtsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whether or not this letter came in response to Abel's (2009) in-depth study of language access in state courts, it did, in fact, address several of her key concerns, and probably led to the ensuing increase in language access audits carried out by the DOJ in at least seven states. Such audits have led, at least in one case, to favourable shifts in policy.…”

Section: Policy Reactions and Acknowledgements Of Non-compliancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Laura Abel's (2009Abel's ( , 2013 analyses of language access in state and federal courts provide a comprehensive snapshot of the legislative view of such issues in addition to suggesting a path towards improvement. Laura Abel's (2009Abel's ( , 2013 analyses of language access in state and federal courts provide a comprehensive snapshot of the legislative view of such issues in addition to suggesting a path towards improvement.…”

Section: Conclusion: a Further Call To Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A further call to action: training as a policy issue in court interpreting

Wallace

2015

The Interpreter and Translator Trainer

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This article gathers research from three studies conducted by industry stakeholders in US court interpretingresearch which provides a blueprint for prioritising quality in courtroom language access and which concretely links court interpreter training to policy decisions in the areas of language access and interpreter certification testing. The first study examines training experiences of Spanish/English court interpreters in one US state (Wisconsin); the second surveys practising court interpreters in the same state to demarcate specific skill domains and content in which court interpreters wish to receive training; and the third study examines failure rates on the state-level oral court interpreting exams on a national level over a 15-year period, suggesting some key strategies to mitigate such failure. In light of the aforementioned studies, as well as in response to the National Center for State Court's recent publication entitled A National Call to Action, this article represents a further call to action, beseeching educators and policymakers to create meaningful training opportunities, to acknowledge the relationship between lack of training and widespread oral exam failure, and to reward and incentivise training and credentialing through proactive policy decisions.

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“…Added to the panoply of July 2009 documents that give court interpreters pause for thought is the Brennan Center for Justice report on Language Access in State Courts (Abel 2009). Its executive summary identifies the following hair-raising facts:…”

Section: Sight Interpret Spanish or English Documents As Required Duringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Court Interpreting 2009: an undervalued and misunderstood profession? Or: will justice speak?

Morris¹

2010

MonTI

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The article addresses a number of topical issues relating to court interpreting. After examining a number of issues discussed among US interpreters in July 2009, it considers the provision of court interpreting in a number of different English-speaking jurisdictions, including the position of agencies. It presents the cost of a lack of judicial awareness of the issues involved in providing competent interpreting in legal proceedings, and looks at how rare languages are dealt with in the United States. It examines best practice and how this can quickly turn into worst practice. It considers the situation in Canada' s Province of Ontario, where a class action has been brought against the Ministry of the Attorney General for failing to provide competent interpreting services. The discussion poses a number of questions, and considers whether court interpreting is condemned to be an undervalued and misunderstood profession in many jurisdictions, or whether there is reason to hope for improvement.

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Language Access in State Courts

Cited by 12 publications

References 25 publications

America's languages: The future of language advocacy

America's languages: The future of language advocacy

A further call to action: training as a policy issue in court interpreting

Court Interpreting 2009: an undervalued and misunderstood profession? Or: will justice speak?

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