For interpreters, a court assignment is one of the toughest translation jobs in Vermont.
That's why Community College of Vermont and the Vermont Judiciary offers a special training focused on court interpreting.
As instructor Sarah Reed handed out certificates to 17 graduates last week, the mood was upbeat and positive. And the group, most of whom are already working as interpreters, gave the class rave reviews.
Francis Manga has experience interpreting French, Lingala and some Swahili. He says at first, he wasn't sure he had much to learn about translating.
But through the course, he says he now understands more about the ethics of translating exactly what is said. He says in the past, it was tempting to give longer, more conversational explanations.
"We just care about satisfying our client," said Manga. "But sometimes we do wrong things, like when you're interpreting for someone you try to explain what you know. This is not what we should be doing."
It's not uncommon for interpreters to translate words or phrases that don't really exist in other languages. This is especially true in the court system, where English idioms are used extensively.
Laura Dolgin, Deputy Director of Planning and Court Services for the state of Vermont says those phrases are ingrained in our language going pretty far back.
"We handed out a sheet of Shakespearean phrases, because they're so common in the English language," said Dolgin. "They're not necessarily understood in other languages."
And Manga, the interpreter, says he learned another major lesson: how to be more assertive in court.
"They told us, you have to stop the judge," said Manga. "You have to stop the attorney whenever you're not ready."
He says before the course, he wasn't doing that, and his work suffered for it.
"You'd just listen and try to do your best. Even if they're going so fast, you try to go fast," said Manga. "That's why I'm saying it was really bad."
As a defense attorney, instructor Sarah Reed drew from her past work with interpreters and focused on that skill.
"My experience was wishing interpreters were a little bit more bold, that they would say 'slow down' whenever they needed to," said Reed. "Kind of take control of the situation a little bit more."
Among interpreters, the courts have a bit of a reputation. Laura Dolgin acknowledges the job isn't for everyone.
"We have worked with people who are happy to interpret for the medical community, but find the demands of the court interpretation more than they want to take on," said Dolgin.
Almina Kadric used to be one of those people. She's a Bosnian interpreter who mainly works with the Burlington School District. That's only part-time work, and court interpreting could open up another possible income source.
In the past, she shied away from court because she felt it was too strict and intimidating. She says the course helped her to relax.
"Now I feel like I'm ready to go into the courtroom and interpret without any fear," said Kadric.
She got her first call to interpret for the police while enrolled in the CCV course. She says thanks to encouragement from her instructor and classmates, she said "yes."
