Legal Interpreting: An Emerging Profession

Abstract

of immigrant residents. Nowhere is this barrier more evident than in the legal system. The significant increase in the need for judiciary interpreters in courts throughout the country has paralleled the rise of this immigrant population (16: p. 286). As demand has grown for interpreter services, so too has the realization that persons devoted to this occupation need considerably more skills than simply speaking two languages. Serious attention currently focuses on issues which will accelerate the professionalization of legal interpretation: 1) establishment of education and training programs; 2) development of certification procedures; and 3) promotion of community awareness of the importance of court interpreting and of the skills required to render these services effectively. Increased interest in legal interpretation has also generated a number of questions concerning this occupation: 1) What services do legal interpreters perform? 2) What skills must they possess? 3) How great is the need for such services? 4) Can one train for a career in this field? 5) Is legal interpretation and translation a profession? If so, 6) what qualifies the practitioners of this occupation as professionals? This paper attempts to answer these questions by providing a comprehensive overview of the historical and social events that have contributed to the current state of the art. TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION DEFINED