Resource for Interpreters
March 18, 2019 § Leave a comment
When you need an interpreter for court, it’s a critical need, indeed. Without one key testimony might be entirely inaccessible.
The AOC is responsible for training and certifying interpreters. As the AOC website explains:
Many people living in Mississippi readily read, speak, and understand English. There are many others living in Mississippi for whom English is not their primary language and for whom English is not readily understood. For those limited English proficiency (LEP) individuals, understanding and exercising their legal rights may be difficult and could result in the denial of any meaningful access to the justice system.
Court interpreters must possess specialized skills that very few bilingual individuals possess. The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) became a member of the Consortium for Language Access in the Courts of the National Center for State Courts in order to gain access to other professionals in the field of Court interpreting. The Administrative Office of Courts has developed the Mississippi Court Interpreter Credentialing Program, based on model policies promulgated by the Consortium, in order to assist the courts in Mississippi in their endeavor to provide equal access to justice for limited English proficiency individuals. This program will train, certify, and test individuals who wish to serve as interpreters in the courtrooms of Mississippi. The AOC adopted the Code of Ethics for Court Interpreters and the Rules on Standards for Court Interpreters on October 17, 2011.
The AOC court interpreter web site is at this link. Or, you clan click the AOC tab on the Mississippi Judiciary website.
Whom to appoint as interpreter is within the discretion of the trial court. AOC suggests that candidates be considered in this order: (1) Certified, meaning that the person has been found to have the requisite skills, has undergone training in courtroom techniques and ethics, and has been certified; (2) Registered, meaning that the person has applied for certification but has not completed the process; and Non-credentialed, meaning that the person is neither certified nor registered.
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