Transcript Slide 1
Video Remote Interpreting in Oregon Courts Ed Alletto CSC, OIC:s/v v/s, SC:L ASL Interpreter II Characteristics of Courts A court case is adversarial in nature •Statements are being evaluated and compared •The interpretation can be used as a tool by the parties Courts are collections of fiefdoms •Multiple lines of authority •Complex funding sources Court proceedings are recorded •Recording the interpretation can be difficult •The simultaneous mode should be accommodated Parts of the communication may be private Core Principles Mission Statement: Court Interpreter Services provides high-quality mandated linguistic access to the Oregon State Courts through trained ethical interpreters, education of the court community, and responsible resource management. Core Principles Customer Centered Approach Technology Cost Interpreter Scheduling Core Principles Technology RI must be easy for court staff to use Core Principles Technology on technology that the court already uses (ex. video link to jail) Oregon’s RI System Current RI System Technology Our interpreters use: 3 Polycom video conferencing stations, and 2 Laptop/webcams with Polycom software Most Oregon courts use Polycom equipment We connect over OJD’s private state-wide network Current RI System Scheduling State-wide centralized scheduling system Full time Interpreter Schedulers who are: - Highly trained - Expected to exercise judgment Appropriate for RI It’s a process NOT a set of rules! Appropriate for RI 1st Evaluate local resources – Are state certified or qualified interpreters available in the area? – Where are the closest available state certified or qualified interpreters? – What does it cost to provide in-person interpreters? Appropriate for RI 2nd Evaluate the proceeding. – Will there be sworn testimony? – Is the hearing expected to be complex? – How long is the hearing expected to take? – What is at stake? (new dates, a fine, jail time) – What is the Court’s position on RI? – Do the parties have a position on RI? Appropriate for RI 3rd Make a judgment – Assure high quality service. – Assure responsible use of resources. Appropriate for RI Types of hearings that are usually appropriate for RI are non-evidentiary events like: – Arraignments – Status conferences – Sentencing hearings – Change of plea hearings – Staff communication at the counter Data RI usage for ASL 650 # of Assignments 600 550 500 450 629 574 536 484 2010 2011 468 400 350 300 2008 2009 # of In-person Assigns 2012 RI usage for ASL 650 14 # of Assignments 600 50 47 550 70 500 70 450 629 574 536 484 2010 2011 468 400 350 300 2008 2009 # of In-person Assigns # of RI Assigns 2012 RI usage for ASL 650 # of Assignments 600 550 500 450 400 350 300 2008 2009 2010 # of In-person Assigns 2011 # of RI Assigns 2012 RI Travel Cost Savings for ASL Travel Cost = travel expenses + interpreter travel time 50 70 47 14 2008 2009 2010 # of RI Assigns 2011 70 RI Travel Cost Savings for ASL Travel Cost = travel expenses + interpreter travel time 50 14 70 70 $35,758 $36,504 2011 2012 47 $21,798 $21,289 2009 2010 $5,783 2008 Travel Cost Savings # of RI Assigns RI Travel Cost Savings for ASL Average travel cost savings per RI Assign = $483 50 14 70 70 $35,758 $36,504 2011 2012 47 $21,798 $21,289 2009 2010 $5,783 2008 Travel Cost Savings # of RI Assigns Unsatisfactory RI Assigns Unsatisfactory = Someone reported some kind of a problem during the assignment # of RI Assignments 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total 50 47 70 70 237 # of RI assignments 7 14% 4 9% 9 13% 6 9% 26 11% reported unsatisfactory Unsatisfactory RI Assigns 8 7 29% Causes of Problems 6 5 17% 17% 4 3 13% 13% 2 4% 1 4% 4% 0 Court staff A connection A slow setup equip. problem connection incorrectly delayed start affected quality Unable to establish a connection Interpreter Hearing ran setup equip. too long incorrectly (interpreter terminated) # of unsatisfactory RI Assigns Audio feedback in the courtroom and as % of Total Unknown reason Challenges Challenges • Meeting "in the hall" interpreting needs incident to in-court proceedings – Filling out forms – Brief attorney-client communication • Courtroom staff unable to operate their own equipment • On the fly attorney-client consultation is not easy. • User satisfaction has been difficult to measure Kelly Mills CIS Program Manager [email protected] Heidi Koury RI Program Team Lead [email protected] Ed Alletto ASL Interpreter II [email protected]