Iowa courts make interpreters priority to provide equal access

The court system can be difficult enough to navigate for someone who’s proficient in English, but for litigants, witnesses and victims who don’t speak English, it can be overwhelming without help.

Over the last decade, the Iowa Judicial Branch has made it a priority to provide qualified court interpreters to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population. People who have difficulty speaking and understanding English are allowed to have a certified interpreter during any proceeding in criminal and civil cases and also in juvenile court.

Last year, Iowa court interpreters provided services in about 10,000 various judicial proceedings, said Chris Kunej, director of the Language Access Services for the Iowa Judicial Branch. A recent analysis identified over 20 different languages, from Arabic to Vietnamese, spoken in Iowa’s courts during a 12-month period.

According to 2021 court data, the top language for interpretation in all eight judicial districts was Spanish. But there were many others that districts listed in their top needs, including Swahili, French, Kirundi or Kinyarwanda, Mandarin, Russian, Vietnamese, Burmese and Karen.

“The most important thing is to find competent and skilled interpreters to provide a full and complete interpretation of what is being said in the courtroom by everyone involved” including judges, lawyers and witnesses, said Kunej, who is also certified as a Bosnian/Croatian court interpreter. “I’m passionate about this program that provides equal access and meaningful participation for all.”

Kunej is the first to be named as the director of language access for Iowa courts. Previously, those duties fell to the judicial branch’s deputy court administrator.

Kunej, who was born in Zagreb, Croatia, has been in the role since 2021 but has been a court interpreter for 11 years. He previously managed the interpreter services office for King County Superior Court in Seattle, Wash., for three years.

Before that, he was on Utah’s Judicial Council on Language Access for about two years. While in Utah, Kunej also taught language courses at Brigham Young University for two years and has written papers for publication on court interpreting.

Kunej, who relocated with his parents from Croatia to California at a young age, understands how difficult it can be for someone being in a new country and not understanding the language. He saw his parents struggle and he wanted to help those in the community also facing barriers because of language.

Kunej oversees the statewide program, which includes orientation, testing and credentialing of interpreters before they work in the courts. The credentialing is conducted twice a year.

Interpreter requirements

To be a court interpreter, a person must be at least 21; have 48 credit hours of college-level courses; complete an application with education and work experience; and undergo a criminal-background check that shows no felony convictions or others for crimes of dishonesty.

The application process includes information about foreign language skills. The Judicial Branch says it is looking for “(n)ative-like mastery of both English and a second language.’

An individual must participate in a two-day interpreter orientation program, and pass a written exam and an oral exam on general vocabulary, American slang, legal terms, court procedures and court interpreter ethics.

During the court proceedings, interpreters must be able to simultaneously interpret what is being said in English into another language withing adding to it or omitting words. Certified interpreters are required to sign an oath to abide by the Code of Professional Conduct for Judicial Branch Interpreters.

Interpreters are contract workers and paid hourly rates, ranging from $40 to $58 an hour if paid by the court. Those hired by private lawyers negotiate their rate. Iowa court interpreters can work in juvenile and adult court, and also in out-of-court settings such as depositions.

There are 64 court interpreters on the statewide roster, which has increased about 60 percent in the last two years, Kunej said. The list includes college professors and instructors and linguists, individuals with experience as a translator or interpreter — as well as those who may not have any professional background in languages, he said.

“There’s no typical profile of a court interpreter,” Kunej said. “They are a diverse, wonderful bunch.”

‘Tremendous’ amount of practice

  Buy Photo

Suzanne Wedeking, a court interpreter from Iowa City, already had a full-time job as a lecturer at the University of Iowa when she started preparing to take the court interpreter exams. She teaches courses in Spanish and Portuguese.

A mentor encouraged her to consider court interpreting and she became certified as a Spanish interpreter in November 2019.

“It’s a great career and you meet the most interesting people and the work is fascinating,” Wedeking said.

Wedeking grew up in Des Moines but spent time traveling and living abroad. She has a master’s in Spanish Literature from the UI and helped developed some Spanish language courses for undergraduates in Des Moines.

She takes as many court assignments as she can with her UI teaching schedule. Most of the assignments she accepts are in Johnson County, but she also takes some assignments in Polk County, where her parents live. Wedeking also does some remote proceedings over Zoom, which the court allows for some hearings and trials.

Wedeking said she initially was hesitant to get started after taking the orientation, and she waited about a year before taking the written and oral exams. The testing is difficult and “significant” study is required. It’s not just enough to be bilingual, she said.

A basic understanding of the legal system and extensive vocabulary skills are needed, she noted.

  Buy Photo

Wedeking said she continues to learn new things every day. Last week, she was preparing to take the test to be certified in French.

Weston Van De Berg, also a certified Spanish court interpreter in Orange City, said most of his jobs are in rural Iowa, but he also goes to Polk County for court. In addition, he has other freelance jobs working for private lawyers, interpreting in depositions and as a certified health care interpreter.

Van De Berg graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s, majoring in interpreting and translation from Northwestern College in Orange City. He then went back for a certificate course in legal interpretation in 2022.

Van De Berg was first certified as a medical interpreter and then as a court interpreter. He has been working in Iowa courts for about a year.

He was always good with languages and Spanish came easily to him, he said, but it’s more difficult to interpret for court. It takes a “tremendous” amount of practice. He said he enjoys the job because every day is different and it’s interesting hearing about all the cases. The most difficult part for him, he said, is that it’s a solitary job.

Van De Berg said the job allows him to control his own schedule and take the work he prefers — more in-person interpreting. He has done remote interpreting, but said it’s more difficult.

  Buy Photo

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com