Fifty bilingual participants speaking in 22 different Asian languages participated in a rigorous two-day 12-hour interpreter training held by the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC) on April 19 and 20, 2009. Recognizing a need for Asian language interpreters among social and legal providers in the DC Capitol region, the APALRC organizes an annual interpreter training, held at the Thurgood Marshall Center this year, to train community members to interpret in both legal and non-legal settings.

It is a necessity for many individuals living in the D.C. Capitol region, who speak another language better than they can speak English, to have access to interpreters, without which visits to the Department of Human Services, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Employment Services and other agencies for common services can pose long wait times, misunderstandings, incomplete service and even refusal of service. It is the unfortunate reality that insufficient access to interpreters has often translated to unequal access to important government and social services.

Based on the 2000 consensus of the D.C. population of 572,059, there were 90,316 individuals (16%) who speak a language other than English. Of these, almost 7% or 38,237 individuals were limited-English proficient (LEP) or non-English proficient (NEP), essentially with little or no capability of communicating in English. Compounding LEP/NEP individuals' ability to have equal access to social services, over 50% of the NEP and LEP population in D.C. are low-income and fall between 0% and 300% of the federal poverty guidelines. This means they cannot find alternative ways of getting these services, and do not have the financial means to pay for interpreters.

In 2004, the D.C. Language Access Coalition was formed to build community support for the Language Access Act, which requires the provision of important services and document by all D.C government agencies in the six major non-English languages spoken in the region (Amharic, Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese), and to continue to ensure compliance of this law.

APALRC's Legal Interpreter Program serves as a feeder program and training ground for community interpreters to eventually be able to provide their professional services in places that are most needed such as in government and the courts. Over 300 individuals applied to participate in last week's training.

Individuals find out about the program through grassroots sources - list servs, word of mouth, local groups, groceries, embassies, and community newspapers.  Applicants are prescreened and a handful selected to participate. At the training, they build the foundational skills for interpretation work, become aware of the urgent and important need for interpretation work and its ethical considerations, and embark on a journey to becoming professional interpreters.

"The weekend training with APALRC was amazing and was significant to my learning and to becoming a language interpreter," says Boyito Quiroz, who speaks English, Tagalog and other Philippine dialects.
Shaileshi Kothary, a trilingual speaker of Gujarati, Hindi, and English, comments: "The training was quite an 'eye-opener'. It was very useful. I was not [previously] aware of the extent of need for interpreters."

Taught by an experienced trainer, Angie Carrera, participants learn to interpret "faithfully and honestly." They also learn about the Interpreter "Code of Conduct" and the importance of impartiality, professionalism, commitment, respect, and service in interpretation work. Participants who pass the training are invited to an interview and language testing before beginning their paid contract work with the organization, after which they will have the opportunity to work as interpreters with the APALRC and other local organizations to assist individuals from their own communities in a range of social and legal issues.

Additionally, the APALRC training promotes community service and increases popular understanding of pertinent issues facing the Asian Pacific American and immigrant community. APALRC staff attorneys discussed their experiences working with low-income and LEP/NEP individuals. Their anecdotes challenge the widely held model-minority myth and focuses on some of the pressing housing issues, family and domestic matters, and unequal access to social services commonly seen in low-income and/or non-English proficient communities.

APALRC staff attorney Pooja Regmi spoke about her work in family law and the importance of interpreters in enabling providers to overcome language barriers when providing comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence.  Housing Advocate Parag Khandhar discussed common housing issues including evictions, foreclosures, lack of affordable housing and access to government-subsidized housing, and housing discrimination.  Staff attorney Nadia Firozvi shares anecdotes in which vital services were withheld from LEP and NEP individuals, including the story of Mr. Lee Jong Yeol, who was mistakenly incarcerated for four days in Virginia and D.C. without access to a Korean interpreter.

Yo Kimura, a training participant fluent in Japanese and English, reflects: "[The APALRC training] was the most superbly organized and enjoyably executed seminar I have ever attended. I think I learned a lot, not only in terms of the skill of interpretation but also of the spirit of public service, which will certainly benefit me and whomever I will come to serve in the future."

In line with its mission of greater access to information and services, the interpreter training serves to promote community interconnectedness and information sharing. The APALRC recognizes that each training participant is a leader in his or her own community.

Kothary thought "it was great to meet so many other 'South Asians' with similar interests and a passion to help others." Keiko Tsujimoto Papaj, a bilingual Japanese-English participant said to APALRC after the training, "I really wish I knew about APALRC last year.  I knew some people who could really use your help."

According to staff attorney Parag Khandhar, "At least 3 or 4 people came to speak with me separately wondering about whether we help with foreclosures/bankruptcy. They told me that members of their communities had approached them with questions - Thai, Burmese, Nepali, Chinese folks all mentioned it to me, and it was an immediate window into what might be a much greater crisis in these specific communities."

APALRC will begin its next annual recruitment in February of 2010. If you wish to be notified of APALRC's next interpreter training for publication in your newspaper, or if you are interested in applying as a community interpreter, please email Betty Luan at betty.luan@apalrc.org to be included in the mailing list.  To find out more about our work and events at the APALRC, please visit our website at www.apalrc.org.