TUPELO – The Mississippi Administrative Office of Courts (AOC) is seeking bilingual speakers to act as interpreters in state court proceedings.
AOC will conduct an ethics and skill-building seminar for individuals interested in becoming court interpreters on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 9-10, at the Community Development Foundation in Tupelo. Advance registration is required by Sept. 26. The fee to attend is $75. A seminar registration form is available at  https://courts.ms.gov/aoc/courtinterpreter/forms/Application%20for%20Seminar%20%20OCTOBER%202014.pdf.
Court interpreters must understand court proceedings as well as be fluent in English and a second language. The seminar will introduce prospective foreign language interpreters to interpreting in legal settings including the courtroom, depositions and other legal proceedings.
Administrative Office of Courts Deputy Director Ta’Shia Gordon will give an overview of Mississippi’s Court Interpreter Credentialing Program. Seminar presenters are certified Spanish court interpreters Georgina Barvie’ and Arlin Lang of Gulfport, who have 20 years of combined experience in the field of interpreting and translating
The AOC developed the Mississippi Court Interpreter Credentialing Program to assist the courts in Mississippi in their endeavor to provide equal access to justice for limited English proficiency individuals.
“Language access in the courts is vital to preserving the integrity of our legal system. Individuals with limited English proficiency must have access to an interpreter to understand court proceedings and their legal rights,” said Gordon.
The seminar is the first step in the program which will train, certify and test individuals who wish to serve as interpreters in the courtrooms of Mississippi.
The seminar will outline the requirements to achieve credentialing as a registered or certified courtroom interpreter. AOC officials hope to train and issue credentials to interpreters in many languages. The biggest need is for those who speak Spanish or Vietnamese. For additional information, contact Gordon at 601-576-4632.