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CFI President Ariel Torrone and TTIG Chair Angie Birchfield.
CFI, with the support of The Translators and Interpreters Guild (TTIG), is sponsoring legislation to ensure quality interpretation and to prevent fraudulent use of interpreters’ credentials.
AB2370, introduced by Assembly Member Ed Chau earlier this year, would require verification of the identity and state-issued credentials of an interpreter for any court proceeding or deposition. The bill passed the Assembly and is currently before the Senate.
It would serve as a safeguard to maintain the integrity of the record by confirming the certification or registration of the interpreter. The bill calls for a judge to require an interpreter to state on the record their:
- Name
- current court interpreter certification or registration number, and
- the language to be interpreted.
Interpreters would also have to provide a:
- statement that their certified or registered interpreter identification has been court verified, and
- statement that the interpreter’s oath was administered to him or her, or that he or she has an oath on file with the court.
Interpreters would have to state similar information for the record in depositions where a judge is not present.
“The passage of this bill will solve this persistent problem that violates the rights of the LEP (Limited English Proficient) and creates a problem for the courts and attorneys,” said Angie Birchfield, TTIG chair.
Currently, courts and attorneys assume that interpreters before them are certified or registered when in fact many are not. Since some non-certified/non-registered interpreters add that their “oath is on file,” further adding to the misinformation.
If an interpreter is required to give their state court certification or registration number on the record, then no doubt remains about interpreter’s qualifications.
Courts have rendered many depositions invalid when it is disclosed that the interpreter was not California court certified or registered. The issue arises when workers compensation cases are referred to the Superior Court for prosecution or to support a civil lawsuit. Interpreters who are only administrative hearing or medically certified are not accredited to work on court cases.
