Court Interpreter

Southwest Florida court officials are working to prevent such communication problems. More than 40000 Spanish speaking people live in Lee and Collier counties. Though most are bilingual legal ease can often seem like another language even to the most fluent in English to bridge the gap. Lee County uses two certified Spanish speaking chord interpreters on a daily basis. One of them is Beatrice be a tree. She speaks five languages and has been doing this for six years. Good morning it's a case of first British here. Yes you well you put it on the not a mosque only last week when you can. Call something on a lot of books in this thing because it can't last. I got to the stage can you says hello. I mean like most days be a tree is interpreting for his event today. This man is charged with carrying a concealed weapon used an interpreter within 24 hours of his arrest at his first court appearance. He can thank Judge John Carlin who's presiding over his case for that. Before Carlin got on the bench

defendants would often interpret for each other. I've been a judge now for five years and when I came on board as a new judge was basically the time that they started having interpreters. At first appearance I would like to think that I was partially responsible for that contribution although there were a lot of people that facilitated having interpreters at first appearance. But it was. My role as a judge who did speak up and say that we need to have interpreters at first appearance to facilitate communication via a tree equates being that facilitator to the courts to Niagra for and the machine on which that person documents what's said in court she repeats every word said by every player and doesn't add or delete a thing. And in contrast to places without certified court interpreters which may use a defendant's friends or family she's familiar with courtroom terminology and etiquette.

That's what it's all about a smooth transition from the language. It's not supposed to. We're not supposed to complicate the matter nor favorit anybody. We're neutral that's what I said. We're like machines. It's like a tape recorder. If you don't say something. Then we don't say anything. If he says the same he says yes we say. Yes. We can't make tests on anything though this defendant is bilingual he says he would feel lost. Standing below the judge's bench without vitæ tree by his side simply venting them a bit on this. Yes because I understand a lot about everything they're saying to me and judge Carlin says even though it appears this man understands more of what's going on than he will not take any chances. I think we have to err on the side of being cautious and err on the side of making sure that we are communicating with somebody when somebody is entering a plea of guilty or no contest to a criminal charge. I want to make sure that person understands the significance of that

particular police investigators here in the Connecticut home and not on anonymous. No contest. If you were at this place were interpreted for your students to understand something. They can set folks see the glass from this point about distant in the sun before. If you know like I said yes the tree says she's most impressed when she runs into people she once interpreted for and they have since learned English. But regardless of how often that happens she calls her job and fulfilling all the satisfaction and saying. It's bad everyone understands us and there's no miscommunication going on and there's no reason afterwards to say I didn't know what was said. There's no excuses. It's all about ignorance comes to Xmas and everything it's out in the open court interpreter Beatrice the Atri says improvements still need to be made in interpretation efforts by local law enforcement

agencies. Though some like the Collier County Sheriff's Office are teaching deputies Haitian Creole and Spanish there is often no interpreter available when non-English speaking people first come in contact with the law. When you left before you came in as a kid OK so a lot of my friends have just about are. Very good for Florida Public Radio I mean the tardive in Fort Myers.