How great is the need for court interpreters in Idaho?
According to the 2002 U.S. Census Bureau Idaho population and “languages spoken at home” data, statewide 9.3 percent of the population 5 years old and older speaks a language at home other than English. These percentages vary significantly by county, and this language barrier is appearing in Idahos courtrooms. While counties dont track statewide the number of court cases requiring an interpreter, we can roughly estimate that if 250,000 cases are filed annually (excluding infractions) and 9.3 percent of the population potentially needs an interpreter, then as many as 23,000 cases might require an interpreter for each hearing and trial held in the case. What is required to work in Idaho as a court interpreter? Is certification required? Idaho Court Administrative Rule 52 establishes the policy for the qualification and appointment of interpreters in the state of Idaho. Rule 52 does not currently require that a court interpreter be certified. Idaho does not yet have a sufficient pool of i
