Section 203. Appointment of Interpreters

(a) Appointment of a certified interpreter.—The presiding judicial officer shall appoint the certified interpreter procured pursuant to § 201(c)(1) unless a certified interpreter is unavailable.

(b) Appointment of an otherwise qualified interpreter.—

(1) An otherwise qualified interpreter shall be appointed by the presiding judicial officer if the presiding judicial officer determines that the Appellate Court Prothonotary/District Court Administrator or his or her designee made a good faith effort to procure a certified interpreter and a certified interpreter was not available and that the otherwise qualified interpreter was properly procured pursuant to § 201(c)(2). In making the foregoing determinations the presiding judicial officer shall consider the efforts made by the Appellate/District Court Administrator or his or her designee and whether these efforts complied with the requirements of § 201(c).

(i) Persons with limited English proficiency.—

Prior to the appointment of the otherwise qualified interpreter for a person with limited English proficiency, the presiding judicial officer shall determine the interpreter’s qualifications by:

(A) conducting the voir dire for qualifying interpreters for persons with limited English proficiency recommended by the Court Administrator;

(B) ascertaining that the otherwise qualified interpreter has read, understands and agrees to abide by the Rules of Professional Conduct for Judiciary Interpreters established by the Court Administrator; and

(C) verifying that the otherwise qualified interpreter is listed in the interpreter roster published by the Court Administrator.

(ii) Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing.—

Prior to the appointment of the otherwise qualified interpreter for a person who is deaf or hard of hearing, the presiding judicial officer shall determine the interpreter’s qualifications by:

(A) conducting the voir dire for qualifying interpreters for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing recommended by the Court Administrator;

(B) ascertaining that the otherwise qualified interpreter has read, understands and agrees to abide by the National Association of the Deaf (NAD)—Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) code of professional conduct, and the Rules of Professional Conduct for Judiciary Interpreters established by the Court Administrator;

(C) verifying that the otherwise qualified interpreter is listed in the interpreter roster published by the Court Administrator;

(D) verifying that the otherwise qualified interpreter is certified by the NAD or RID, by asking to see the interpreter’s membership card; and

(E) that the otherwise qualified interpreter has complied with the requirements of the Sign Language Interpreter and Transliterator State Registration Act, 63 P. S. § 1725.1 et seq., and is registered with the Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) within the Department of Labor and Industry of the Commonwealth.

(2) In ascertaining whether an individual is able to interpret and should be appointed as an otherwise qualified interpreter, the presiding judicial officer shall follow the guidelines established by the Court Administrator for the appointment of otherwise qualified interpreters for persons with limited English proficiency or for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing.

(c) Additional interpreter(s).—After consideration of the type and length of the judicial proceeding and the number of persons requiring interpreters involved, the presiding judicial officer may appoint, as provided for in subsections (a) and (b), an additional interpreter or provide for additional interpretation in a manner deemed appropriate by the presiding judicial officer. In making this determination, the presiding judicial officer shall follow the guidelines established by the Court Administrator for the appointment of additional interpreters for persons with limited English proficiency or for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing.

(d) Interpreter for immediate family.—The presiding judicial officer may appoint, as provided in subsections (a) and (b), an interpreter or provide for additional interpretation, as provided in subsection (c), for an immediate family member of a principal party in interest.

(e) Persons who are not to be appointed as interpreters.—Under no circumstances should the presiding judicial officer appoint a family member of the person with limited English proficiency or person who is deaf or hard of hearing, a witness, party, or other persons who may have an interest in the outcome of a judicial proceeding or those who may be perceived to have an interest in the outcome (i.e., police officers, sheriff’s deputies, constables, etc.) to act as an interpreter for that person.

Comment

Subsection (a) of § 203 authorizes the presiding judicial officer to appoint a certified interpreter after the steps outlined in § § 201 and 202 have been taken. If the judicial proceeding is conducted in a court of record, the formal appointment of either a certified interpreter or an otherwise qualified interpreter should always be done on the record at the first appearance of the interpreter at the proceeding. Subsection (c) allows for the appointment of a team of interpreters if the judicial proceeding is a jury trial, is likely to be more than two hours in duration, or, in the case of a deaf or hard of hearing person, whenever the limitations and particularities of the person’s form of communication (such as when the deaf or hard of hearing person is a foreign national who does not communicate in any of the forms of sign language spoken in this country) requires it.