The Indiana Supreme Court and the Indiana Commission on
Race and Gender Fairness held a swearing-in
ceremony last November as a way to honor sixteen individuals who had recently
gained certification as court interpreters.
During
the ceremony, Camille Wiggins, Program Manager, commended the newly certified
interpreters for their efforts and commitment to develop the required skills to
provide professional-level interpretation services. Certification is a
five-step process that begins with orientation. This two-day activity provides
aspiring interpreters with the opportunity to realize that interpreting is
detailed; and that it involves knowing the structure of the court system, rules
and regulations, ethics, and specialized terminology that needs to be
interpreted accurately, said Wiggins. If a person decides to pursue this route
and seek certification, then a written examination made up of 135 questions and
translation of 10 passages comes next. Those who meet the mark, move on to
skill-building training to prepare for the oral portion of the certification
process. This portion of the certification process requires performing sight
translation and consecutive and simultaneous interpreting; not an easy task,
highlighted Wiggins, who went on to express her gratitude and admiration for
those sixteen interpreters who were successful in all five steps. She also
acknowledged the presence of several “old school” interpreters, including yours
truly, who attended the ceremony in support of the Indiana certification
process and the newest certified interpreters.
The
swearing in ceremony included remarks by the Honorable Robert D. Rucker,
Justice at the Indiana Supreme Court, and Liaison to the Indiana Commission on
Race and Gender Fairness; the Honorable José D. Salinas, Chair of the Latino
Affairs Committee of the Indiana State Bar Association and the Honorable Myra
C. Selby, Chair of the Indiana Commission on Race and Gender Fairness.
Justice
Rucker emphasised that the ceremony was as much a celebration for the Indiana
Supreme Court as it was for the newest certified interpreters. In his highly
complementary remarks, Justice Rucker stressed how gaining certification is
both a personal and professional accomplishment and how court interpreters are
partners with the Indiana Supreme Court in its effort to provide access to
justice to limited English proficient individuals throughout Indiana. The Honorable José Salinas, for his part,
highlighted the important and role interpreters play in the process that takes
place in the courtroom. “In one sense”, he said, “you are being asked not to be
heard, because all you do is interpret what one person says into another
language. But in another sense, your words are the most important ones, because
if the defendant does not understand those words; if participants do not
understand what that person saying in response; then the process breaks down.”
The
Court Interpreter Certification Program is the flagship program of the Indiana
Supreme Court’s Commission on Race and Gender. In a ten-year
period, the program has certified over ninety interpreters; mostly in Spanish,
but also one in French, one in Arabic and in this new cohort, two in Mandarin
and one in Polish.
I was
part of the first cohorts of interpreters; the “old school” interpreters as,
Camille Wiggins affectionately put it. Indiana is ahead of most other states in
terms of how it prepares candidates for certification. The Indiana Supreme
Court Commission on Race and Gender Fairness has invested not only in resources
to administer the certification examination but also to help aspiring
interpreters prepare for the examination.
The Commission lends candidates materials to study for the test and
provides them with skill-building sessions. This is something that not many
states do. The Indiana Supreme Court
Division of Court Administration keeps a registry of certified interpreters that the courts, legal
professionals and the general public can use.
This registry alone represent a great encouragement for Indiana
certified interpreters to remain in the field, as it provides us with great
exposure and increases our chances to provide our interpreting services outside
the courtroom.
The
swearing-in ceremony reminded me of a college commencement. It had the same
sense of celebration, but was also very meaningful in terms of the future
accomplishments expected of this class of interpreters. I felt very privileged
to be a part of it.