What are some issues to consider in using volunteer interpreters, in particular with smaller indigenous populations?
While it is always best to use professional, court-certified interpreters, agencies may not always be able to find interpreters for certain smaller, indigenous populations, and have contacted us for assistance. Recently, we are finding many Guatemalans and Brazilian migratory workers coming into contact with service providers, many of whom are preliterate and depend more on verbal than written communication. The reality is that there are often only a handful of professional interpreters for certain small indigenous groups, like certain Mayan or Asian languages, who have the experience and understand the terminology associated with court translation for these subgroups. For court interpreters, I often have to have the interpreters flown in from outside the region since it’s highly unlikely to find someone locally either with the experience or who doesn’t have a conflict of interest in these cases. Gossip and news spreads quickly in a small, close-knit immigrant community, and can have r
