The ATA Chronicle - July/August 2024 - 25

demonstrates that these
interpreters have a true
interest in becoming certified
or registered, or at least it
attests to their commitment
to the interpreting profession
by getting continuing
education on ethics and legal
terminology. To me, these
individuals don't see court
interpreting only as a side
job, and this fact makes me
happy and proud to be an
interpreter.
Topics covered in this
workshop were very diverse,
but I tried to encompass
all the intricacies that
court interpreters face
daily, including modes
of interpreting, codes of
ethics and professional
responsibility, safety
and protocol in the
courtroom, and knowledge
of terminology. During
the eight-hour workshop,
I had the opportunity to
show attendees the many
scenarios a court interpreter
may face and the best way to
approach them, whether it be
an issue of protocol, ethics,
or safety. I emphasized that
court interpreters are in
constant contact each day
with litigants and defendants
and must give their undivided
attention to everything that's
happening in the courtroom
so as not to miss a single
detail.
Attendees were also
introduced to interpreter
testing in California,
which is based on the
recommendations of the
National Center for State
Courts-an independent,
nonprofit court improvement
organization. Attendees had
the opportunity to do a mock
test of the written portion-
which evaluates knowledge
of English, idioms, reading
comprehension, legal
jargon, and code of ethics-
and participate in a few
simultaneous, consecutive,
and sight translation practice
exercises. The purpose of
doing a mock exam is to give
prospective interpreters an
idea of what they lack so they
can focus on weaknesses.
It also allows attendees
to practice under exam
conditions, giving them the
tools to fight off nerves,
anxiety, frustration, and
sloppy mistakes.
The Ripple Effect
The success of this initial
workshop led to a second
installment in Santa Barbara.
After receiving feedback
from attendees at the first
worskshop that more time
was needed, this second
training was held over two
Saturdays. The turnout was
impressive, with over 40
Spanish-speaking attendees
on the first day alone.
Several promising
projects emerged from this
second workshop, including
the formation of study
groups to help Spanish
interpreters pass the state
exam. Additionally, there
was significant interest
from the University of
California, Santa Barbara
(UCSB) and Santa Barbara
City College in creating a
formal training program.
The Mixteco Indigena
Community Organizing
Project (MICOP) in Oxnard
also expressed a desire to
offer the course at their
facilities for members of their
Women's Entrepreneurship
Program. MICOP aims to
build community leadership
and self-sufficiency
through education and
training programs,
interpreting, health outreach,
humanitarian support, and
cultural promotion for the
over 20,000 Indigenous
people living in Ventura and
Santa Barbara Counties.1
In 2017, with support
from management at the
Santa Barbara County
Superior Court, I traveled to
Oxnard over two Saturdays
to conduct an all-Spanish,
eight-hour introductory
workshop each day. These
workshops covered a
wide range of topics, with
ethics and the convergence
of medical and legal
interpreting sparking the
most debate. The workshops
had 25 attendees on the
first day (although the
number dwindled to 18
on the second day, with
four new participants
joining), including speakers
of Zapoteco Serrano del
Sureste Medio (a member
of the Zapotecan branch
of the Oto-Manguean
language family) from
the town of San Cristobal
Lachirioag in Mexcio. This
provided an opportunity to
practice simultaneous and
consecutive interpreting
and sight translation in both
Spanish and Zapoteco.
Many attendees had
experience in medical
settings but were new to
legal settings, making
The complexities
of Indigenous
languages,
which share
few similarities
with Romance
languages,
create
significant
challenges for
both interpreters
and the legal
system.
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