With technology expanding into so many areas of commerce and society, it has long been a suspicion that translating would enter the computer age. In many ways, it has. Today, many translations are produced and designed with the help of computers.
But long before the advent of the World Wide Web, there have been scores of computer programs that have claimed to perform the actual act of language translation. But beware! Such programs can yield some very embarrassing results. We tried to use popular Internet translation tool to translate the sentence “It is raining cats and dogs” and the sentence translated to read that cats and dogs are falling from the sky.
We know that the most useful tool for translating is an experienced translator who understands the culture of the target audience and is an expert of both target and source languages. We certainly have embraced the computer age with open arms, but we know that nothing can replace a real person.
America is becoming more and more multi-lingual each year. This rapid increase has produced a higher demand on interpreters. This is especially true in states such as California, Arizona and Florida that have experienced a shortage of interpreters.
In the case of California, there is a severe shortage of certified interpreters. Certified interpreters are interpreters who are certified by the state to work in courts, arbitrations, depositions, other legal proceedings, or in medical settings. The state legislature has addressed this issue by creating a “provisional certification” for interpreters in legal proceedings. A provisionally certified interpreter is an interpreter who does not have state certification, but is otherwise qualified as a legal interpreter.
Is important to be aware of this type of certification because if an interpreter does not have total certification, it can still be permissible under law to certify the interpreter for the purposes of a particular proceeding. In California, in order for an interpreter to be provisionally certified, either the presiding officer or both parties must consent. Some states have one form of certification, while others like California have as many as three (court, administrative hearing and medical). However, most states do not have a process for certification.
At America Translating Services, we make every effort to find state certified interpreters for all assignments. If we are certain that one is not available, we assign only the best non-certified interpreters. However, this is not an issue in most states where a formal certification process does not exist. If you have a question about certified interpreters or laws in your state; please contact us at (800) 535-0555.