What Would You Have Done?

Do you have an experience to share? Please write to the Editor. Our work is confidential and all identifiable details are removed from the stories shared with us to maintain compliance with our Code of Ethics. This space is for us to help each other overcome or prepare for unexpected situations.

And we would like to thank our colleagues who have shared their experiences with us.

Has this -or something similar- ever happened to you?

Our colleague arrives in the court for her assignment just to discover that the deponent was a native English speaker and did not need her services. The request for a Spanish interpreter was made because of the deponent’s Hispanic last name. No fact checking took place.

Instead of releasing our colleague, the Interpreter Administrator decided to use her services in another capacity: assist the English speaking defendant fill out dozens of pages of forms – which happened to be in English, by the way.

The interpreter explained that it was unnecessary and not part of her job at which point the Interpreter Administrator called the hiring agency to complain. Instead of supporting our colleague, the agency threatened to withhold pay if she did not comply.