Providing Language Access in Hawai‘i State Courts Hawai‘i State Judiciary Office on Equality and Access to the Courts

Presentation Hawaii’s language access lawHawaii’s language access law Hawaii’s demographicsHawaii’s demographics Hawaii’s language access planHawaii’s language access plan Hawaii’s challengesHawaii’s challenges Hawaii’s next stepsHawaii’s next steps

Hawaii’s Language Access Law

1,360,301 total population1,360,301 total population 25.5% speak a language other than English at home25.5% speak a language other than English at home 17.9% are foreign-born17.9% are foreign-born Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey

Ranking in the Nation Highest percentage of: Asian populationAsian population Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific IslandersNative Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders Mixed racial populationMixed racial population Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2011 American Community Survey

Hawaii’s Language Access Plan In-Court and Related Proceedings Interpreter Certification ProgramInterpreter Certification Program Telephonic Interpreting ServiceTelephonic Interpreting Service Out-of-Court Encounters Bilingual Volunteer StaffBilingual Volunteer Staff Telephonic Interpreting ServiceTelephonic Interpreting Service

Hawaii’s Interpreter Program

Interpreter Services $381,000 spent$381,000 spent 7,500 cases7,500 cases 48 different languages48 different languages Based on FY2011 Court Interpreter Payments

1. Chuukese 2. Ilokano 3. Spanish 4. Korean 5. Marshallese 6. Vietnamese 7. ASL 8. Japanese 9. Tagalog 10. Tongan 11. Mandarin 12. Samoan 13. Cantonese 14. Pohnpeian 15. Laotian High Demand Languages

Mandatory Minimum Requirements for Court Interpreters Basic Orientation WorkshopBasic Orientation Workshop Consortium Written English Proficiency ExamConsortium Written English Proficiency Exam Hawai‘i Basic Ethics ExamHawai‘i Basic Ethics Exam Criminal Background CheckCriminal Background Check

Multiple levels of qualification CertificationCertification Less than certificationLess than certification o Languages for which no certification exam exists o Alternative exam to measure oral interpreting skills Hawaii’s Interpreter Program

Minimum requirements for court interpretersMinimum requirements for court interpreters Standards for interpreter performance and ethicsStandards for interpreter performance and ethics Incentives for interpreter advancementIncentives for interpreter advancement Parity of spoken & ASL interpreter designationsParity of spoken & ASL interpreter designations Reciprocity and alternative credential recognitionReciprocity and alternative credential recognition Tiers of Designation

Challenges ► Limited pool in high demand languages ► Lack of in-language resources for high demand languages ► Geographic isolation ► Budget constraints ►

Next Steps: Work in Progress  Document translation  Centralized database and E-scheduling system  Video remote interpreting  Staff interpreter feasibility  Collaborative approaches

Summary  Hawaii’s language access law  Hawaii’s demographics  Hawaii’s language access plan  Hawaii’s challenges  Hawaii’s next steps

Debi S. Tulang-De Silva Program Director 426 Queen Street, B17 Honolulu, HI  (808)  (808)  Office on Equality and Access to the Courts

Mahalo