Seventeen aspiring court interpreters from six different communities across Nebraska gathered at JBE the weekend of April 23-24 for an introduction to the profession of court interpreting by the Language Access Team and special guest certified Spanish court interpreter Kelly Varguez.  After Interpreter Orientation, Elsa G., who traveled 274 miles from Ogallala to Lincoln for the workshop, wrote, “I just want to express how much I enjoyed the Court Interpreter Orientation Program. I would love to do this for a living.”

The participating Arabic, Mandarin, and Spanish speakers gained insight into interpreter ethics and the essential knowledge, skills, and abilities for court interpreter certification.  They also practiced the modes of interpretation used to be the conduit that enables Nebraska’s limited English proficient (LEP) court users and probation clients to tell their own stories in their own words.

Nebraska Supreme Court Justice Stephanie F. Stacy joined the group on Sunday afternoon, acknowledging that Nebraska’s court interpreters have the words to provide LEP litigants access to justice.  Justice Stacy celebrated participants taking the first of three steps to become a court interpreter, and she distributed Certificates of Completion.

Interpreter certification is an earned professional credential requiring substantial language skills in both English and a second language; a broad knowledge of English terms and court-related vocabulary; and verified ability to accurately interpret in a wide range of registers and subject matters.