Center Court - Vol. 6, No. 2 - Spring 2003

The Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification program has been selected as one of 15  semi-finalists—out of more than 1,000 applicants—for the prestigious Innovations in American  Government Award, sponsored by the Institute for Government Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. The Consortium, staffed by the National Center for State Courts, was founded in 1995 by NCSC and four states—Washington, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Oregon—and has since grown to include 29 states.

The collaborative group ensures equal access to the courts for non-English speakers by creating and maintaining a rigorous system for educating, training, and certifying skilled court interpreters. As a result of its efforts, the Consortium has helped to increase the number of qualified interpreters, strengthened interpreter professionalism, improved management of interpreter services and reduced case time in interpreted proceedings.

"I’m overjoyed that the Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification is a finalist," said William Hewitt, NCSC principal court research consultant. "Equal access to justice is a hallmark of American courts. When witnesses cannot speak English, only accurate interpretation assures judges that evidence is not distorted."

The Consortium was chosen for the award to serve as an example for replication by other government agencies. "Just as many innovations from targeted government research over the years have led to much broader, private-sector applications—the Internet being one example—these pilot programs targeting immigrant communities will yield positive ripple effects through America," said Gail Christopher, executive director of the Institute for Government Innovation.

Each of the 15 finalists receives a $10,000 grant. Of the 15, five will be named in May to receive $100,000 to support replication activities for their programs. Other semi-finalists for the Innovations in American Government Award include:

• Public Contract Operations "Bid-to-Goal," created by San Diego Public Contract Operations
• Care 7-Crisis Response Service, in Tempe, Ariz.
• Center for Higher Education, a consortium of 10 Ohio colleges and universities
• Citywide Geographic Information Systems of New York City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications
• Energy Efficiency Utility, of the Vermont Energy Investment Corp.
• Families Together for Therapeutic Visitation, in Rhode Island
• FirstGov.gov, of the U.S. General Services Administration
• La Bodega de la Familia, of New York’s Division of Parole
• Multi-State Clean Diesel Initiative, created by two national associations of air quality officials
• Oso de Oro Lake Park, of the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District
• Public Safety Collaborative, of Knoxville, Tenn.
• Structured Decision Making, created by Michigan’s Family Independence Agency
• 311 System, of Chicago
• Community-University Information Initiatives, created by the University of California, Los Angeles

  Last updated [02/21/05 ]