logo image
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • SlatorCon Remote May 2021
    • Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists
    • Preparing for the Critical Google Update Coming in May 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs
MENU
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • SlatorCon Remote May 2021
    • Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists
    • Preparing for the Critical Google Update Coming in May 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs

Register For Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists and Learn How To Win New Clients.

  • Slator Market Intelligence
  • Slator Advertising Services
  • Slator Advisory
  • Login
Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Advertisement
Trial Courts in Ottawa and Florida To Spend More On Interpreting Services

3 years ago

October 16, 2017

Trial Courts in Ottawa and Florida To Spend More On Interpreting Services

Industry News ·

by Eden Estopace

On October 16, 2017

3 years ago
Industry News ·

by Eden Estopace

On October 16, 2017

Trial Courts in Ottawa and Florida To Spend More On Interpreting Services

Trial courts in Ottawa in Canada and the state of Florida in the US are taking the initiative to strengthen people’s access to language and interpreting services.

In Canada’s capital city, a pilot project launched in 2015 to explore ways to increase public access to French language services in courthouses will be made permanent.

This was announced on October 11, 2017 by Canada’s Attorney General Yasir Naqvi, Minister of Francophone Affairs Marie-France Lalonde, and French Language Commissioner Francois Boileau in Ottawa.

Advertisement

A detailed study on the Seamless Access to Justice in French Pilot Project, which ran for 18 months at the Ottawa courthouse, shows that making court information available in French to French-speaking individuals and strengthening their French language rights in criminal proceedings have improved access to justice even with the absence of a separate project funding.

According to government statistics, more than 600,000 francophones live in the province of Ontario, which is the largest French-speaking community in Canada outside Quebec.

Court offices and government offices, in general, are required, through the French Language Services Act, “to provide French services to citizens either in person, over the phone, electronically, orally, or in writing.”

However, court-specific French language rights provisions such as those implemented in the pilot project and other language services do not apply everywhere.

Enhanced French language services

Some of the initiatives tested in Ottawa to strengthen French language services include giving the accused the right to request a trial before a French-speaking judge, and once granted, the right to have a French-speaking or bilingual prosecutor (other than a private prosecutor).

Interpreters were made available to assist the accused, while the record of proceedings and trial judgment include transcripts of interpretation.

During the pilot phase, visual aids were also used widely to inform the public of the availability of French language services at the courthouse, as well as making available a list of bilingual lawyers at police stations.

“The Ottawa courthouse will continue to proactively offer service in French and ensure that francophones are aware of their rights. Making these changes permanent is an important step in building a more accessible justice system for Franco-Ontarians across the province,” Naqvi said in a statement.

More Budget for Video Remote Interpreting

Meanwhile, in Florida, the courts are keen to expand video remote interpreting (VRI) service.

In its legislative budget request for fiscal year 2018-2019, the court system is pitching a USD 8.5m budget for court interpreting to the state legislature, more than half of which (USD 4.5m) will fund the proposed VRI service expansion.

State courts administrator Patricia Jameson told public broadcaster WSFU in an interview on October 13, 2017 that courtrooms equipped with technology would address the critical need for more interpreters in the state.

“If we have the courtrooms equipped with the technology for this to happen, we can link up a court interpreter that’s in Orlando to a courtroom, let’s say, in the Panhandle,” Jameson was quoted as saying. “And, that’s a better use of the court interpreter’s time.

Florida’s VRI service in courtrooms was first implemented in fiscal year 2014-2015 with an initial budget of USD 100,000. However, requests for additional funding in the succeeding years were denied, according to the new budget request document.

This time, the court system is once again requesting a comprehensive funding that “would ensure the quality and availability of court interpreting services in trial courts.”

“Expansion of this technology would allow access to qualified interpreters over a broader geographical area, which would allow for the pooling of limited resources for certified interpreters and would provide a more consistent level of interpreting services across the state at a lower per-incident cost,” the proposed budget document noted.

Aside from VRI, other items listed for funding include contractual services (USD 404,083), salaries and associated costs for 12 new FTEs (USD 1.083m), and various costs for addressing equity, retention, and recruitment of court interpreters (USD 2.4m).

“This fiscal year 2018-19 request supports immediate and critical needs for the availability of court interpreters both in person and remotely through the use of technology,” the report noted.

According to the latest US Census Data, Florida has an adult population (18 years old and over) of 13.9 million, and around 2.9 million (21.3%) speak a language other than English. Spanish is the second most dominant language (with 2.2 million speakers or 15.8% of the adult population).

“Florida is one of the largest stakeholders in the nation with respect to spoken language access demands,” the budget document emphasized. “In order to afford Floridians the ability to fully participate in the court process, it is critical the courts adopt strategies designed to remove linguistic barriers and increase both the availability and effectiveness of qualified spoken language court interpreters.”

TAGS

court interpretingFlorida court systemFrenchInterpreterslanguage servicesOttawa courthousevideo remote interpreting
SHARE
Eden Estopace

By Eden Estopace

IT journalist and Online Editor at Slator. Loves books, movies, and gadgets; writes for a living, but codes for fun.

Advertisement

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SLATOR WEEKLY

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

SUBSCRIBE

SlatorSweepSlatorPro
ResearchRFP CENTER

PUBLISH

PRESS RELEASEDIRECTORY LISTING
JOB ADEVENT LISTING

Bespoke advisory including speaking, briefings and M&A

SLATOR ADVISORY
Advertisement

Featured Reports

See all
Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

by Slator

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

by Slator

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

by Slator

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

by Slator

Press Releases

See all
BLEND Raises $10m to Fuel Global Growth with End-to-end Localization Services

BLEND Raises $10m to Fuel Global Growth with End-to-end Localization Services

by BLEND

Iconic Launches INTRA Translation Platform

Iconic Launches INTRA Translation Platform

by Iconic

Pangeanic Is Now Certified to ISO 27001 Information Security

Pangeanic Is Now Certified to ISO 27001 Information Security

by Pangeanic

Upcoming Events

See All
  1. Smartling - Global Ready Conference 2021

    Global Ready Conference

    by Smartling

    · April 14

    When you can't traverse the world, let the world come to you. Join our annual global event from home.

    More info FREE

Featured Companies

See all
Sunyu Transphere

Sunyu Transphere

Text United

Text United

Memsource

Memsource

Wordbank

Wordbank

Protranslating

Protranslating

Seprotec

Seprotec

Versacom

Versacom

Smartling

Smartling

XTM International

XTM International

Translators without Borders

Translators without Borders

STAR Group

STAR Group

memoQ Translation Technologies

memoQ Translation Technologies

Advertisement

Popular articles

Poland Rules on LSP Using Google Translate; Defines ‘Professional Translator’

Poland Rules on LSP Using Google Translate; Defines ‘Professional Translator’

by Marion Marking

The Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index

The Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index

by Slator

Behind the Scenes of the European Parliament’s Pivot to Remote Interpreting

Behind the Scenes of the European Parliament’s Pivot to Remote Interpreting

by Seyma Albarino

SlatorPod: The Weekly Language Industry Podcast

connect with us

footer logo

Slator makes business sense of the language services and technology market.

Our Company

  • Support
  • About us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe to the Slator Weekly

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

© 2021 Slator. All rights reserved.

Sign up to the Slator Weekly

Join over 13,500 subscribers and get the latest language industry intelligence every Friday

Your information will never be shared with third parties. No Spam.