The number of certified and registered foreign language court interpreters in Tennessee has reached 53, including nine certified in Spanish, 40 registered in Spanish and four registered in Arabic, Portuguese, Dutch and Bulgarian/Russian. The certified interpreters have passed written and oral examinations and a criminal background check as required by two Tennessee Supreme Court rules adopted last year. Interpreters who are registered have passed the written test and criminal background check, but have not yet completed the oral examination requirement. The court rules mandate proficiency and ethics standards for certified interpreters.
Both groups of interpreters will be given preference for scholarships to the 24th Annual Meeting and Educational Conference of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators to be held May 23-25 in Nashville. The scholarships are being funded through a federal grant.
Since the Supreme Court standards for interpreters were adopted, four ethics workshops, three written test sessions and two oral test sessions have been conducted. Oral tests also will be administered May 17 to 18 candidates.
Under the Supreme Court rules, judges inTennessee are required to attempt to appoint an interpreter who is certified if one is available. In most cases, the cost of providing an interpreter is included in court costs, although indigent criminal defendants may have state-paid interpreters to help them communicate with their attorneys.
A list of the certified interpreters and information on becoming a foreign language court interpreter also are available on the court system website. Information also can be obtained by calling Rebecca Montgomery or Joan Goddard at the AOC, 615-741-2687.