The cost of interpreting services at the County Courthouse has increased 75 percent compared to last year, the County Auditor’s office recently reported.
Council of Judges Administrator Mike Izquierdo attributed the increase to a shortage in certified court English-Spanish interpreters in El Paso.
The vacancy of three of the five full-time interpreter positions at the courthouse has led to the hiring of freelance interpreters, which is much more expensive than paying a permanent employee, Izquierdo said.
From the beginning of the 2014 fiscal year in October until the end of June, the county spent $17,700 in freelance interpreting services, compared to $4,000 spent during the same time in 2013, said Wally Hardgrove, the county’s budget and finance manager.
In addition, on June 26, County Commissioners Court approved to transfer $5,000 from a council of judges account to the account for interpreting services to cover additional interpreting charges.
Izquierdo said the money is primarily use to contract English-Spanish interpreters, who charge about $70 per hour. The interpreting services account also covers sign language services.
The average starting salary for an English-Spanish interpreter in the county is $47,000 plus benefits, Izquierdo said.
Although the latest numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that 73 percent of the population in El Paso County speaks a language besides English and there are only 28 licensed English-Spanish interpreters in El Paso, Izquierdo said. More.
See: El Paso Times
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The pay is generous. I wonder why there is a shortage? The training is expensive , especially if you do a Master's in Interpretation. Maybe the pay is not enough to recoup the investment in education. The tuition at a certain school in California comes to mind.
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I once went for an interview for court in Phoenix. The starting pay was about $20,000. Not enough to make it worth my while. And they were very demanding to boot.
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I recall seeing a listing of job openings from Phoenix some years back. The county was offering higher pay to a janitor than a court interpteter; shameful but true. ▲ Collapse
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