At the beginning of my interpreting career in the state of Florida, I could not believe how undervalued this profession is in the United States. In my generally monolingual country of Ukraine, just like in all post-Soviet counties, a profession of a translator/interpreter has a level of prestige easily comparable with being a doctor, an engineers or a lawyer. It is one of the most popular University majors, with Bachelor, Master and Ph.D programs available in many schools. Yes, you have to STUDY and obtain a degree to become an interpreter/translator anywhere in Europe and many other parts of the world.
For various reasons, things are different in this country. According to US Bureau of Labor Statistics website, ‘the most important requirement (to become an interpreter – N.W.) is to have native-level proficiency in English and at least one other language.’ https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/interpreters-and-translators.htm
Being bilingual is very good, but it does not mean you are an interpreter/translator ‘by default’. Just like you cannot claim being a physician because you know Human Anatomy or a CPA because you know QuickBooks or Excel. Unqualified bilinguals without proper training acting as interpreters in different settings, including court interpreting, is, unfortunately, still a reality. Diplomatic and conference interpreters is the only exception from this rule.
Now the situation is gradually changing. More and more schools offer programs in Translation/Interpretation, the interpreting is gaining a status of a reputable profession through the individual efforts of many dedicated professionals and professional organizations like NAJIT najit.org. Court interpreter certification is available in many states in multiple languages through ‘Consortium for Language Access in the Court’ https://www.ncsc.org/education-and-careers/state-interpreter-certificationi. Court administrations have tightened the requirements to allow only certified, qualified or registered interpreters to prove language access in the court room. However, many unqualified ad hoc interpreters are still used outside of courtroom, during the attorney – client conferences, depositions, recorded statements, interrogations, as well as in various medical and community settings.
The passing rates of the court interpreters exams are notoriously low and that is no wonder. No attorney would attempt to sit for a bar exam without graduating from a law school. Yet, many bilingual people without any background in Linguistics or Translation/Interpretation Studies, sit for the exam every year. The majority of them predictably fail and only a few ‘naturals’ are able to pass the exam, usually after several attempts and extensive self-study. Today multiple self-study resources are made available through court system and private entities for everybody who wants to be a court interpreter. http://origin.flcourts.org/resources-and-services/court-services/court-interpreting/
The problem is many bilinguals do not even try to obtain certification for different reasons or quit trying after several unsuccessful attempts. Yet, still continue providing interpretation services. In the United States a well established court interpreter certification program is the only line of defense against unqualified bilingual individuals. Court Administrations maintain the registry of certified, qualified and registered interpreters, which makes a search for a qualified professional in many languages very easy. https://www.flcourts.org/Resources-Services/Court-Services/Court-Interpreting/Find-an-Interpreter
One of the main ideas behind this blog is to educate the professionals who work with interpreters, let them see ‘the interpreter’s perspective’ of things, help them to better understand what it takes to interpret and learn how to effectively build communication through interpreters.