Board Meeting

Please join the CFI Local 39000 Board Meeting April 21

You may participate from your computer, tablet or phone. 
Thursday, April 21, 2016
7 PM - 9 PM Pacific Daylight Time

OBIT

Colleagues remember Riverside Interpreter Jeremy Jennings 

RIVERSIDE (April 14, 2016) _ Spanish Interpreter Jeremy Jennings, who worked for the Superior Court of Riverside, has passed away. He was 38. 

Steward María Benítez and CFI President Ariel Torrone were among the friends, colleagues and family who attended a memorial Saturday, April 9 at Green Mountain Ranch in Lytle Creek. 

"His fun-loving disposition, classic jokes and the way he lit up a room when he entered will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him. Words cannot convey how much Jeremy meant to his family and friends," reads his obit. 

Jeremy was surrounded by family when he passed away March 14 at San Antonio Regional Hospital in Upland from a brain tumor. 

Language Access Plan

CFI Exposes Judicial Council Misrepresentations on VRI and Promotes Better Pay for Contractors

SAN FRANCISCO (April 23, 2016) _ CFI submitted comments showing that high-ranking Judicial Council members have been promoting video remote interpreting (VRI) based on misrepresentations of its suitability for courtroom hearings, and stressed the need to raise the per diem rates for independent contractors, during the most recent Language Access Plan Implementation Task Force meeting.

CFI's findings on VRI are based on its yearlong investigation into VRI use for American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation in California and for spoken languages in Fresno and Florida.

CFI found that VRI’s usefulness and success have been misrepresented and overstated by proponents, including Judicial Council staff who exaggerated positive outcomes of the ASL VRI Pilot Program based on limited evaluations and selective analysis, and failed to acknowledge a substantial decline in its usage since then.

The success of Fresno's “cart solution,” which refers to the pushcart that carries its VRI equipment, has also been misrepresented by court leadership. CFI found this system has only been used three times in the past two years, for rare languages. Other than that, Fresno has only used VRI for traffic appearances, and on a very limited basis.

CIAP Nominations

Due May 6

Submit nominations (including self-nominations) by May 6, 2016 for three open positions on the Court Interpreter Advisory Panel (CIAP): reg-2 employee, reg-4 employee, OTS independent contractor.

Petition

Urge the UN to protect translators and interpreters worldwide

The world cannot function without translators and interpreters: We help the public stay informed by interpreting for journalists; we keep everyone safe by translating terrorism chatter pulled from the airwaves; we assist with delivering humanitarian aid to those in need; we act as language bridges for armed forces; we ensure due process and justice in courts and tribunals; we facilitate truth and reconciliation proceedings; we keep peace negotiations going in various international forums. And we transcend conflict by translating culture to reach people everywhere.

But we are at risk.