Interpretation / Language Access

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act requires organizations receiving federal funds to ensure meaningful access to their programs and services for persons with limited English proficiency.
Court interpretation must be provided by professional, certified or qualified, culturally competent interpreters, preferably with training in domestic and sexual violence.
Bilingual speakers and advocates are not trained interpreters and cannot mitigate role confusion and/or conflicts of interest. They should not be asked to or relied upon to interpret.

Federal and state laws and policies on language access in civil and criminal courts,
Meeting the needs of culturally diverse victims/survivors with limited English proficiency,
Improving language access policies and practices in organizations and systems,
Roles and responsibilities of systems personnel at various points of contact,
Model programs and practices for interpretation services,
Training and qualifying standards for court interpretation,
Advocates' roles,
Finding and working with interpreters,
Critical issues and challenges, and
Resource Center materials on: Demographic and Census Data, Glossaries, Guidelines and Standards for Court Interpretation, Manuals, Program Models, Policy Briefs, Research Reports, Resource Directories, Training Curricula, and Translated Materials.