Until now, Sonoma County's juvenile court system has provided a service to assist people who don’t speak English. The translators would meet with parents of young people waiting to go on trial and explain the legal issues facing their children, as well as provide translations in-court. They would even help with testimonies, documents and witnesses.
PressDemocrat.com reported that the administrators of the court system will be cutting the translation services available to people who don’t understand English. While they will still be providing translations inside the courtroom, it has been determined that the translators spend too much time going above and beyond their duties to help these people. As it is, the translators feel understaffed as they run from courtroom to courtroom assisting families to understand the details of the proceedings. Cindia Martinez, the court's deputy executive officer, said that the out-of-court discussions should be left up to the public defenders to take care of. The state-funded interpreters should stick to their jobs in the courtrooms.
The parents of children awaiting trial find it comforting to be prepared when they enter the courtroom, and the translators want to help. Another option available for people struggling with English is to try and familiarize themselves with some of the related terms. There are many ESL programs available. Personally I would recommend the WhiteSmoke Translator for word-to-word and full-text translations because I like them and I very much dislike their competitors but many programs are available out there. Also, here’s a very good blog with free English lessons and English-related news.
M.Jane
No comments:
Post a Comment