During the 2005-2010 grant cycle, the NCIEC developed the following products in support of the judiciary and interpreters specializing in legal interpreting.
- Development of a Competencies of Interpreters Specializing in Legal and Court Interpreting document that details the skills, knowledge and attributes necessary for effective work in these settings.
- Development of a Best Practices of ASL-English Interpreters in Legal and Court Settings document detailing 24 best practices to employ when working in legal and court settings—including law enforcement.
- Fact Sheets for use in educating the judiciary about unique elements of working with sign language interpreters in legal and court settings—such as Deaf interpreters as part of a team, team interpreting, unique linguistic considerations of Deaf litigants, and general staffing considerations.
American Sign Language Interpreter Teams
Deaf Interpreters as Reasonable Accommodations
Linguistic Considerations of Deaf Litigants
Placement of Sign Language Interpreters in Court
Tips for Sign Language Interpreted Proceedings
Working with Sign Language Interpreters in Court
- Development of a 100+ page Deaf Interpreters in Court brief analyzing the use of Deaf individuals as interpreters by examining state law, case law and best practices. This is an excellent tool for educating the judiciary.
- An annotated bibliography of literature and resources useful to the teaching and practice of legal interpreting.
All of these products can be found in the resource section of the NCIEC website and/or the MARIE Center website.
During the 2010-2015 grant cycle, through the leadership of the MARIE Center, the NCIEC will build on the products from the previous cycle and engage in further activities including:
- Expanding the Best Practices document to include practices associated with interpreting in immigration settings.
- Creating a digitized dictionary of legal terms and signs;
- Sponsorship of training initiatives for Deaf interpreters;
- Sponsorship of an annual advanced training for legal interpreters;
- Sponsorship of SC:L certification preparation trainings;
- Sponsorship of individuals taking the SC:L certification examination;
- Development of a module on self-advocacy in legal settings for Deaf, Deaf-Blind and hard-of-hearing consumers;
- Development of training materials for educating the judiciary; and,
- Development of a website with resources for legal interpreters and the judiciary.
The goal of the Consortium is to advance the number and quality of interpreters qualified to provide services in legal settings.
Additional Resources
For additional resources on Legal Interpreting, visit our Resources pages.