Are you bilingual? Mississippi courts want you to be a court interpreter, after new law

A new law in Mississippi has the aim of increasing access to court interpreters for those with limited English proficiency, and the state court system is encouraging Mississippians who speak multiple languages to sign up to be interpreters.

When House Bill 1217 passed the state legislature with near unanimous support earlier this year and was signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves, it required interpreters to be provided at no cost to the person who needs one, instead passing that cost on to the county or municipality.

Deenie Miller, director of language access at the Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts, said previously it was up to the judge whether the court would pay the cost, or whether it would be passed on to the Limited English Proficient, or LEP, individual. Miller also helped write HB 1217, which was sponsored by Rep. Angela Cockerham, I-Magnolia.

"Most of the time the judges would assess those fees to the LEP, which in essence means they were having an extra burden that they have to meet in order to have due process or to file lawsuits," Miller said. "Federal requirements state that an LEP should never have to pay for their own interpretive services, and now this new law does that."

Miller said it is vitally important that LEP individuals, judges, clerks and attorneys understand that they now have free access to interpreters in all Mississippi courtrooms, and throughout the legal process.

"I'm so excited about the new law, but there's so much to do to make sure that everyone knows about it because if you're Limited English Proficient and you don't speak English, you're not going to know what you're entitled to. I'm trying to get signs in all of the courthouses, all of the courtrooms and continuing to reach out to the clerks, and the judges and the lawyers to make sure that they're aware," Miller said. "What good is it if nobody knows about it."

Another group that Miller wants to be sure knows about the new law — people who speak both English and another language.

There are three categories of interpreters that can work in a Mississippi court.

The first category is a certified court interpreter. These individuals speak multiple languages, but also that they have undergone all of the training required by the Council of Language Access Coordinators through the National Center for State Courts.

The second category is registered court interpreter. These interpreters are known to Miller's team, but they may not have completed all of the required training.

The third category is uncredentialed. Those individuals either meet none of the requirements or have not made themselves known to Miller and her team. They may be qualified, Miller said, but they would not appear on the state's roster.

The new law requires judges to use a certified court interpreter when one is readily available, followed by a registered court interpreter and then lastly an uncredentialed interpreter. An uncredentialed interpreter can only be appointed if a judge deems that they can meet the necessary requirements of the job.

If no qualified interpreter is readily available, the new law requires one to be found from another state. Miller said all of the states in the National Center for State Courts work together and share rosters, so that if an LEP individual speaks a language that is not common in Mississippi, there is a wider pool to choose from. Some judges, Miller said, allow interpreters to work from other areas using video conferencing technology, but others require them to be present in the courtroom.

"Because Zoom is so important now in every aspect of the court system, the interpreters are able to Zoom in to interpret, but a lot of judges want the interpreter in person, and I understand that, but now the county or municipality is going to have to pay to fly them in and any of their costs, if that's what the judge requires for their courtroom," Miller said.

That's why it's important for multilingual Mississippians to get involved, Miller said.

"We desperately need qualified interpreters to come through our program," Miller said. "Now that the new law is in place, that's incredible, but now we need to boost our roster so that we can meet that need."

The program begins with a two-day Ethics and Skill-Building Seminar taught at the Supreme Court in Jackson. That seminar includes crash courses on legal terms, ethical situations and courtroom requirements. Court interpreters are required to be unbiased in their cases. The next seminar will be held Aug. 3-4, and a registration form is available on the state courts website.

After the seminar, there is a 135-question multiple choice test, in English, that covers vocabulary, sentence completion, synonyms, antonyms and idioms. The test also covers legal procedures and ethics. Miller said she is currently offering the written exam immediately following the seminar. A minimum score of 80% is required.

Miller, who has been working full time on language access with the courts for a year, said she is determined to get more people through the program, even if getting them to Jackson is difficult.

"This is going to be my third seminar that I've had since I've been here. My goal is to do them four times per year. If there's a group of bilingual individuals who are interested who, let's say, live in Tupelo, I'll go to Tupelo and do it," Miller said. "It doesn't matter. If you get me a group of people who are interested in this program, I'll make it work."

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Court interpreters now free for non-English speaking people in MS