Dalton: Need for court interpreters grows with Hispanic population

DALTON, Ga. — A son of missionary parents, Kevin Williams returned to the United States from Colombia almost 10 years ago to follow his family’s other vocational path as an interpreter.

“My family has always worked in the area of interpreting or teaching English. I grew up in that environment,” said Mr. Williams. He is now the Spanish language interpreter for the Conasauga Judicial Circuit, including city courts, probate and magistrate courts, as well as Superior Court.

Mr. Williams first starting interpreting for the two-county circuit in 2000, after José Aymat, the previous interpreter, told him about the need in the community.

“It makes me feel happy. You are an instrument that the courts can use to communicate with the Hispanic defendants,” he said. “It’s also very important for the defendants because when it comes to court, the interpreter is their only way to communicate.”

INCREASING NEED

The need for court interpreters in Whitfield County has grown steadily in the past 10 years, said Kermit McManus, district attorney for the Conasauga Judicial Circuit.

“I doubt there have been 10 days of criminal court work in Whitfield County in the last 10 years where we didn’t have at least one non-English-speaking person who we needed to have an interpreter for, whether he was the defendant, the witness or the victim, to testify or speak to the judge in the courtroom,” the prosecutor said.

“We have (interpreters) in the courtroom whenever we have criminal court, and it’s because the Hispanic population in this area has grown tremendously and crime is a byproduct of growth ...” Mr. McManus said.

In Murray County, Mr. McManus said the need for interpreters in the courts is a recent phenomenon.

“That’s because the influx (of Hispanics) in (the) county has come to the point where we have non-English speaking people most of the time we have court.”

The Conasauga Judicial Circuit has had a contract with an interpreter, currently Mr. Williams, for about 10 years, Chief Superior Court Judge William Boyett said.

He said Murray County has an interpreter on call who is paid by the hour.

Having a court interpreter in criminal cases is so important, Judge Boyett said, a proceeding can be postponed if an interpreter is not present and the defendant doesn’t speak English.

Mr. Williams said there are only three interpreters serving the Conasauga Judicial Circuit, including him, but said the needs of both counties are being met.

RECENT SLOWDOWN

Some interpreters and courts officials said the need for interpreting services has slowed in the past year.

“Because of anti-immigrant legislation since 2005, and again last year and this year, we are seeing a number of Latinos going away ... to other states or their home countries,” said Adrian Bernal, a registered court interpreter in Atlanta and member of the board of directors of the Atlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators, who has been interpreting since 2002.

Although legal residents also require Hispanic interpreting services from time to time, he said from his own experience it’s mainly undocumented immigrants who are in need of these services.

Mr. McManus said he has also noticed the need for interpreters has slightly decreased this year.

“There are those that speculate that many of the Hispanics have left our area because of a downturn in the economy and have moved to other places where the downturn is not as severe, (but) that may or may not be true,” he said.

“We still are working the same way we were this time last year in terms of the kind of cases we do, the number of cases we are dealing with. Whether or not we need an interpreter is not an issue anymore, we just have one.”

CHANGING THE COURTS

Mr. McManus said the need for interpreters has changed court operations.

“It has made everything much slower to handle any particular case in the courtroom because, having to go through interpreters, lawyers have to go slower, judges have to go slower, to make sure that even though they (defendants) are not speaking English, they understand what’s going on and what they’re saying is accurately reflected in the record,” said the district attorney.

He said budgeting for interpreting services also has had an impact on the courts.

Whitfield County budgeted $70,000 for 2008 to pay for interpreting services, up from $43,000 in 2002, said Conasauga Judicial Circuit Court Administrator Brad Butler.

Murray County spent $1,325 on interpreter services in 2003 and budgeted $3,300 for 2008, Mr. Butler said.

He noted the court system in Whitfield County operates with revenue generated from taxpayers in the county and with a budget that is approved by county commissioners.

“But having said that,” Mr. McManus added, the fact that they are non-English speakers “has not impacted negatively on our court system. We are still dealing with the cases, we are just going a little slower.”

Mr. Williams said he doesn’t think having an interpreter has to slow down the system. He said it all depends on the quality of the interpreter, and if they are interpreting simultaneously or consecutively.