Today’s legal work environment continues to become more diverse as practices, staff, and clients with different backgrounds interact with one another. Immigration and naturalization firms work directly with non-English speakers in the United States, but all practices are likely to come across documents or testimony that will not be available In English. Bilingual staff members can be useful for day-to-day office responsibilities, but you can’t anticipate all of the languages that may be encountered while providing services to your clients. You also need to remember that these bilingual employees are not qualified language professionals, and so you should always consider the client’s best interests when providing services. Below, we’ll take a look at some considerations when hiring professional interpreters from within the language industry.
Interpretation:
Friends, colleagues, and employees tend to overstate their abilities and understate their shortcomings. Depending on these individuals to provide you with an accurate interpretation for legal matters is not only irresponsible, it’s often not permitted. It is imperative to make sure your interpretation services meet industry standards. Interpreters working within a courtroom must be certified by the state or federal government to provide interpretation services – what standards should firms require for their in-house staff?
Standards of professional interpreters:
- Conveying the wording and meaning of what is said is to be followed as closely as linguistically possible
- Interpreters don’t add or omit content from what is said
- Specializing in and becoming familiar with general legal terminology and case-specific vocabulary is achieved before the interpretation assignment begins
- Required to be able to interpret both consecutively and simultaneously
- Professional standards are met in regards to professionalism (including timeliness and dress)
Hiring professionals for your interpretation needs is the only way to assure that standards are met, attorneys are establishing a strong case, and clients are being provided the best possible service. From preparation in the offices to going to court, language services should be a part of the services of attorneys representing non-English speaking clients to ensure clear communication is being established. Law firms should take the time to familiarize themselves with the language services that can increase efficiency and best represent their clients.
Do you have experience using language services within the legal industry or have you interpreted for law firms? Let us know your thoughts on best practices for both attorneys and interpreters in the comments!
