Translation and interpreting services in White River Junction

Language access rules in Vermont

Court interpreter program

Vermont Judiciary Language Access program (Language Access: Interpreters and Translators), which maintains an active list of court interpreters, provides interpreting and translating at no cost, and takes interpreter requests and complaints through language-specific online forms and its LanguageAccess@vtcourts.gov contact.

Court-certified languages

The Judiciary adds interpreters to its active list based on certifications or credentials obtained from other states; for Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind people, 1 V.S.A. § 331 defines a qualified interpreter as one meeting the competency standards of the national or Vermont Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.

The rule

1 V.S.A. § 332(a) entitles any Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind party or witness in a judicial or administrative proceeding to a qualified interpreter or CART services for the duration of the proceeding, and § 333 requires the presiding officer to confirm an interpreter's ability before appointment; for spoken languages, the Judiciary states it provides interpreting and translating at no cost.

State agencies and the Legislature

1 V.S.A. § 332(b) entitles a Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind person, on five working days' notice, to a qualified interpreter or CART to transact business with any state board or agency, take part in state-sponsored hearings and meetings, or participate in legislative activities.

Who pays

Under 1 V.S.A. § 335, the State pays interpreter costs in criminal proceedings, the court may assign civil costs to a party or the State, and the agency involved or the Legislature pays for interpreters in administrative proceedings, state business, and legislative activities.

Interpreter confidentiality

1 V.S.A. § 339 bars any interpreter, qualified or not, from disclosing or testifying to communications or information obtained while interpreting for a Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind person or a person with limited English proficiency, except where the services were sought to commit a crime or fraud.

Confessions by deaf suspects

1 V.S.A. § 338 allows a statement made during custodial interrogation by a Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or DeafBlind person to be used in a criminal case only if, among other conditions, reasonable steps, including appointment of a qualified interpreter, were taken to ensure the person understood their constitutional rights.

Court languages

The Vermont Judiciary's interpreter request forms cover American Sign Language, Burmese, French, Hindi, Mandarin, Nepali, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese.

Statewide interpreter contracts

1 V.S.A. § 336 requires the State to maintain contracts for CART services and a statewide sign language interpreter referral service that give all state agencies and courts access to qualified interpreters.