Media Advisory
April 26, 2007
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Contact: Jayne Bigelsen
(212) 382-6655 |
What : The State of New
York Court Interpretation: Are We Talking the Talk?
Where are we one year after OCA’s announcement
of system-wide reforms?
When : Wednesday,
May 2, 2007 ; at 6 p.m.
Where : New York City Bar Association,
42 West 44 th Street
It has become more evident from the Census that
the Limited English Proficient (LEP) population
is growing tremendously not only in New York but
across the country thereby calling for nationwide
reforms in court interpretation.
Recognizing that in New York, there are over
168 languages spoken and nearly 30% of New Yorkers,
almost five million, speak a language other than
English, the challenge lies not only in having
a best practice regarding the infra structure but
dissemination of information and direction for
the LEP population who come through the doors of
the courthouse as they navigate their way through
the legal system.
At last year’s forum hosted by the City
Bar’s Women in the Courts Task Force in April
2006, OCA announced an “Action Plan” to
be implemented immediately to improve the system-wide
court interpretation for New York State . This
plan contained many reforms regarding recruitment,
testing and training of interpreters as well as
community outreach to ensure that the LEP population
of New York would have equal access to justice.
On May 2, the Task Force on Women in the Courts
of the New York City Bar Association will host
a follow up panel discussion focusing on the progress
of the reforms begun by OCA one year ago and an
assessment of what more can be done to improve
court interpretation.
Panelists will provide updates, changes and feedback.
The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions
of the panelists.
The program is free and individuals who require
the services of an interpreter are welcome to bring
interpreters with them.
Moderator :
FERN SCHAIR, Senior Vice President, The American
Arbitration Association
Panelists :
ERIC BRETTSCHNEIDER, Executive Director, Agenda
for Children Tomorrow (ACT)
NANCY MANGOLD, Director, Division of Court Operations,
New York State Office of Court Administration
PURVI SHAH, Executive Director, SAKHI for South
Asian Women About the Association
The New York
City Bar Association (www.nycbar.org)
was founded in 1870, and since then has been
dedicated to maintaining the high ethical
standards of the profession, promoting reform
of the law, and providing service to the profession
and the public. The Association continues to
work for political, legal and social reform,
while implementing innovative means to help
the disadvantaged. Protecting the public’s welfare remains one of the
Association’s highest priorities.
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