New York Courts Struggle to Keep Up With Need to Interpret More Languages

The challenge is growing to provide translations for more than 100 languages in New York City.

News Story (New York)

Thomas MacMillan
Wall Street Journal (WSJ)
April 18, 2017
READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Tags: Courts, Language Access

Organizations mentioned/involved: Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG)


DETAILS

In a report issued last month, the New York State Office of Court Administration laid out a plan for improving court-interpreter services, including more training and assessment. Lawyers said that while the plan is a good one, and court-interpreter services have improved in the past decade, it remains a challenge to keep up in New York City as people from around the globe arrive.

“Most people involved in this issue worry a great deal,” said Fern Schair, an attorney who has led the court system’s advisory committee on interpreter services for 10 years. “The last few years in New York we have more languages to interpret.”