Linguistic Diversity An indisputable feature of the nations history and contemporary life

Chief Justice appointed the Supreme Court Task Force on Interpreter and Translation Services in 1982 charged with reviewing the availability and adequacy of services delivered to linguistic minorities by the Judiciary

Task Force Goals O To identify all areas within the Judiciary where equal access to our courts may not be fully available due to linguistic barriers. O To recommend policies and ongoing programs to ensure equal and adequate access to linguistic minorities, including the physically handicapped.

Activities of the Task Force O Compile relevant statutes and case law in New Jersey, the other states and abroad; and collection of legal essays, monographs and other documents. O Surveys of all of the state's judges, court interpreters, bilingual court support personnel and deaf persons who have been to court as witnesses, plaintiffs or defendants, County Prosecutors, Public Defenders, Legal Aid and Legal Services, and bilingual attorneys.

Activities of the Task Force O Linguistic evaluation of technical skills of persons presently serving as Spanish- English court interpreters in the state.

Findings O The core problem identified in the findings of the Task Force is that language services were not being provided at a level of competence which made the courts equally accessible to all persons.

Findings O Procedural forms and documents used by the courts were not generally translated by professionals with specialized skills, knowledge and training. O An appropriate level of court support services of the judicial system is not generally provided by bilingual personnel.

Findings O Existing procedures for establishing qualifications were inadequate for court interpreters and they had inadequate opportunity to develop their professional skills through training and education and were not guided by any binding canons of ethics.

Findings O A statutory basis for providing adequate court interpreting services existed for the deaf and hearing impaired but not for other linguistic minorities.

Recommendations O The Supreme Court should: O Prescribe Qualifications O Recommend Legislative Establishment of a State Board of Court Interpreting O Prescribe the qualifications of bilingual/multicultural court support

Recommendations O The Supreme Court should: O Recommend the Chancellor of the Department of Higher Education designate several public institutions of higher education as centers for training court interpreters and legal translators. O Adopt canons of ethics for all persons who interpret or translate in or for the courts.

QUALIFYING INTERPRETERS IN THE NEW JERSEY JUDICIARY

Statement of Purpose O The goal of the NJ Judiciary’s interpreter qualification process is to identify those interpreters who possess an acceptable level of knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of a court interpreter.

Components of the Process O Written Test O The minimum score required to continue to the next step of the process is 70%. Higher scores are necessary for applicants to qualify at either the Journeyman or Master level of interpreter.

Components of the Process O Oral Testing O Designed to measure the following basic English spoken language skills O Sentence Mastery O Vocabulary O Fluency O Pronunciation

Components of the Process O Oral Testing O The traditional model of oral performance examinations has three sections. O Sight O Consecutive O Simultaneous

1. Sight Interpreting O Sight interpreting means interpreting a document written in one language into another language.

2. Consecutive Interpreting O Consecutive interpreting means interpreting what a lawyer or judge says in English into another language, and what a witness says in that language into English.

3. Simultaneous Interpreting O Simultaneous interpreting means continuously interpreting into another language what English speakers are saying in a simulated legal proceeding without any breaks.

Classification O The NJ Judiciary classifies three levels: O Master O Journeyman O Conditionally Approved O Ordinarily, only the first two levels of interpreters may interpret in court. O For the most serious only those interpreting at the Master level should be used.

Registration (not applicable to staff interpreters) O Persons who wish to deliver court interpreting services on a contractual basis must register and be included in the Judiciary’s Registry of Interpreting Resources.

The courts should be equally accessible regardless of the ability to effectively speak in English