Non-English speakers struggle to have their voices heard in housing court

Despite the OCA’s best efforts to increase language access in Queens courts, the logistics of coordinating interpretation services in a borough as diverse as Queens means that many tenants whose rights have been violated continue to fall through the cracks in the system, Barreda said. Finding an interpreter also slows down the process, further clogging court’s perpetually full dockets.

Even with advocates like Barreda on their side, many clients struggle to have their voices heard — and understood — in civil court.