NCJ Number
100258
Date Published
1985
Length
309 pages
Annotation
This report of the New Jersey Supreme Court Task Force on Interpreter and Translation Services assesses the adequacy of current court services delivered to linguistic minorities and recommends policies and programs intended to ensure equal access to the courts for such minorities.
Abstract
The task force, appointed in 1982, reviewed all relevant reports and papers, case law, and statutes in each State as well as the Federal system. Surveys, interviews, and field visits were also conducted throughout New Jersey. Overall, the task force found that language services are not sufficient to provide equal court access for linguistic minorities. One series of recommendations is designed to establish standards, qualifications, training, educational opportunities, and ethics canons for court interpreters, legal translators, and bilingual court support personnel. Another set of recommendations aims at providing legislation, an effective administrative structure, and comprehensive policy governing costs and fees for court services essential for linguistic minorities. The final group of recommendations is intended to increase the sensitivity of court personnel to the particular needs of linguistic minorities. Strategies for implementing the recommendations are presented along with proposed standards and legislation. 32 references and a table of cases.