Court interpreters have a difficult and complex job.

They are not only expected to know two languages completely, they must also know and use various forms of those languages. Court interpreters regularly work with a range of people, including judges, attorneys, witnesses, litigants, and experts in specific subject fields, such as medicine or forensics. To interpret for such a broad scope of courtroom participants, an interpreter must have a considerably large vocabulary that includes legal language, subject-specific language, formal standard English, and colloquial expressions in both the source and target languages. To top it off, there are actually three different kinds, or ‘modes’ of interpreting that each require slightly different skill sets. In the following paragraphs, I will describe each of the three modes.

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Spanish medical interpretation can mean the difference between good and bad patient care for millions of Americans.

According to a 2005 study conducted by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the number of elderly Latinos in the U.S. will climb to 13.8 million by 2050. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that Latinos 65 years and older are projected to outnumber all other elderly minorities by 1 million as soon as 2030. In addition, Latinos have lower mortality rates than non-Hispanic whites in the 65-and-older age bracket. All of this adds up to a potential patient care crisis that can be avoided with proper language services.

There will surely be an influx of elderly Latinos that need health care in the coming decades, and in many cases, there will be a language divide between those patients and their care givers. In such cases, Spanish medical interpreters will serve a vital role. While family members could interpret for some patients during medical examination or hospital stays, in most cases, being somewhat bilingual is simply not enough. Who would you trust to help care for your family member?

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ALTA Language Services (ALTA) has completed a comprehensive new study for the state of California.

Following a nation-wide competitive bidding process, ALTA was selected to conduct a thorough review of California’s program for certifying and registering court interpreters. A national firm, ALTA has more than 25 years experience in language services, and is an approved testing organization of the U.S. government.

The first major review of its kind since 1994, the study was initiated to ensure that the current court interpreter test reflects recent developments in professional practice. California State law charges the Judicial Council with responsibility for adopting programs and standards to ensure that qualified interpreters are provided in the courts.

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