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El Paso County Courthouse reports shortage in court interpreters

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Henry Hinds
Henry Hinds  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 08:35
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
True Jul 17, 2014

I am a member of the El Paso Intepreters and Translators Association (EPITA), and we are always trying to attract new people. However, it seems that many of us (myself included) are well up in years, so the situation may get even worse. Local institutions do provide course series in T&I, but we still need more to take advantage of the natural resource we have, a large number of bilingual people, and properly train them. Therein lies the problem, it takes more than just being "bilingual" to make ... See more
I am a member of the El Paso Intepreters and Translators Association (EPITA), and we are always trying to attract new people. However, it seems that many of us (myself included) are well up in years, so the situation may get even worse. Local institutions do provide course series in T&I, but we still need more to take advantage of the natural resource we have, a large number of bilingual people, and properly train them. Therein lies the problem, it takes more than just being "bilingual" to make a good interpreter or translator. ▲ Collapse
 
Octavio Armendariz
Octavio Armendariz  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:35
French to English
+ ...
Pay is generous Jul 18, 2014

The pay is generous. I wonder why there is a shortage? The training is expensive , especially if you do a Master's in Interpretation. Maybe the pay is not enough to recoup the investment in education. The tuition at a certain school in California comes to mind.
 
Octavio Armendariz
Octavio Armendariz  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:35
French to English
+ ...
Pay is dismal in certain states Jul 18, 2014

I once went for an interview for court in Phoenix. The starting pay was about $20,000. Not enough to make it worth my while. And they were very demanding to boot.
 
Henry Hinds
Henry Hinds  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 08:35
English to Spanish
+ ...
In memoriam
Pay is Average Jul 18, 2014

The pay is average, OK but not generous. It is also a dead-end job. There are no Masters degree courses available locally; in fact no degree at all is offered by local institutions but they do have course series and certification. I refer to UTEP and UACJ. That school you mention in California is prohibitively expensive, but I do have a local colleague who graduated from there a fair number of years ago. I don't think he does any court work, just conference type work. I myself do no court work, ... See more
The pay is average, OK but not generous. It is also a dead-end job. There are no Masters degree courses available locally; in fact no degree at all is offered by local institutions but they do have course series and certification. I refer to UTEP and UACJ. That school you mention in California is prohibitively expensive, but I do have a local colleague who graduated from there a fair number of years ago. I don't think he does any court work, just conference type work. I myself do no court work, I specialize in translation.

I recall seeing a listing of job openings from Phoenix some years back. The county was offering higher pay to a janitor than a court interpteter; shameful but true. ▲ Collapse
 


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El Paso County Courthouse reports shortage in court interpreters







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