Feb. 1, 2011
First Supreme Court Certified Interpreters Honored
In a ceremony honoring the first group of 23 court interpreters to be certified by the Supreme Court of Ohio, Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor today lauded their accomplishment and restated the Supreme Court’s commitment to improving language access in Ohio courts.
All the interpreters passed written and oral exams that measured their fluency in their language of expertise and demonstrated their interpreting skills by objective standards.
In 2010, the Supreme Court adopted rules regarding the certification of foreign language and sign language interpreters used by Ohio courts. Bruno Romero, manager of the Interpreter Services Program, said the certification ensures that interpreters working in the courts meet the minimum standards of language fluency.
While the certification process in the first year focused on fluency in Spanish, this year the Court will test in five additional languages: Arabic, French, Mandarin, Russian and Somali.
“The concept of ensuring access to justice for all in the state is further bolstered by having these competent, qualified individuals available to interpret in courts across the state,” said Chief Justice O’Connor. “These newly certified interpreters will enable every citizen – including those with limited English proficiency – to understand fully the proceedings in which they are involved and truly have their day in court.”
Ohio courts accommodate approximately 80 languages and handle more than 25,000 cases per year that require a court interpreter, according to Romero. The certification of court interpreters makes it possible for courts to provide the most qualified interpreters without having to guess about the competency of the interpreters.
Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Ronald B. Adrine, who formerly served as chair of the Advisory Committee on Interpreter Services, also spoke during the ceremony.
“Today’s event is the culmination of more than six years of very intense effort on the part of committee members,” he said. “This group of talented and knowledgeable individuals dedicated itself to insuring that no resident of this great state will ever be denied the constitutional guarantee of due process under law because of limited English language proficiency. Experiencing this occasion reinforces for me our state’s commitment to secure those rights for all who suffer the impediment of limited ability to use the English language as we move forward into the future. It’s a very satisfying feeling.”
Contact: Chris Davey or Bret Crow at 614.387.9250.