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LOST IN TRANSLATION: SHORTAGE OF COURT INTERPRETERS IN LOS ANGELES REACHES CRITICAL POINT
POSSIBLE STRIKE: The interpreters' union is currently negotiating its contract with the Los Angeles court after three years of a terrible pandemic that took the lives of three interpreters.
LOS ANGELES, CA- MARCH 7, 2023- Los Angeles Superior Court is facing a critical shortage of court interpreters for indigenous languages, Spanish, and other languages- creating a two-tier justice system for individuals who do not speak English proficiently.
PRESS CONFERENCE TDAY: Please Join Region Representative Begonya De Salvo from the California Federation of Interpreters, Local 39000 at their press conference Today, March 7, 2023 in DTLA in front of City Hall at 200 N Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 at 12:00 p.m. (Noon).
This lack of interpreters leads to an inefficient proceedings and delays, as individuals struggle to understand what is going on or are forced to proceed without assistance, and even await incarcerated while not knowing the charges against them.
Court interpreters are a constitutionally guaranteed right. The 6th amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees the right for non-English speaking individuals to have access to a court interpreter when they are involved in a legal case. Without proper interpretation, vulnerable and marginalized individuals are unable to effectively express themselves or comprehend the court process. Los Angeles is a very diverse county with over 200 languages spoken; however LA Superior Court is mismanaging the Language Access Funds by not valuing their workforce that is leaving the courts in record numbers, and failing to hire indigenous language interpreters as employees with equal access to county benefits.
The Los Angeles Superior Court must take immediate steps to address the disparity , including engaging with indigenous language experts and community organizations, including, increasing interpreter availability and, and ensuring all court documents are recompense and ensuring all court documents are available in multiple languages. Only then we will be able to achieve equal access to justice for all.
POSSIBLE STRIKE: The interpreters' union is currently negotiating its contract with the Los Angeles court after three years of a terrible pandemic that took the lives of three interpreters and a record-high inflation. Los Angeles interpreters are the only group in all of California without steps, and they have been for decades with less than 1% raises per year causing a massive exodus that is causing an unprecedented constitutional crisis for the people of Los Angeles. What's going on with the county funds for Language Acess in the biggest and most diverse metropolis in the country?
Sign Petition Economic Justice for Los Angeles Superior Court Interpreter Employees |
