This past November, BACI-CFI sent out anonymous surveys to the 1,353 certified and registered interpreters. These early numbers are based on the 293 responses received to date. While we will continue to accept completed surveys, these preliminary results offer a snapshot of the state of our profession as expressed by 22% of all interpreters and place our individual experiences working for the courts within a larger context.

Languages. 41 languages are represented in the survey. At 71%, Spanish is the language most frequently cited. All others comprise 29% and include respectively: French, Russian, Mandarin, Armenian, Vietnamese, and Cantonese in addition to 35 other languages. These results resonate with the Judicial Council's findings on interpreter expenditures, which indicate that in the year 2000, 79.6% of court interpreter expenditures were for Spanish and 20.4% for all other languages combined. (Judicial Language Use Study).

Education. 74% have a BA/BS degree, and 30% hold post-secondary degrees.

Geography. Largely reflecting the courts' own usage data, 60% of survey respondents work in southern California, 28% in the Bay Area, 9% in the central valley, and 4% in the northern counties.

How We Work. 95% of respondents are classified as independent contractors. Three out of four perform more than half their work for the state's courts. 59% have been working for trial courts for more than 10 years. 54% work five days, 33% from 1 to 4 days and 10% of surveyed interpreters work less than one day a week for the trial courts. 93% supplement their court assignments with a variety of private sector work.

43% of those surveyed have a regular, permanent court assignments. 38% work as needed on a variable schedule. 17% combine regular and variable assignments. On average, interpreters work for the trial courts in 2 counties.

Health and Welfare. 7% of surveyed interpreters are 34 or younger. 68% are 45 years of age or older. 24% are over 60. 38% of respondents have no retirement plan other than Social Security. 60% have no idea when they will retire. 14% have no health insurance.

Working Conditions. Respondents were asked to identify features from the current work system that they would like to preserve, then rank these from 1 to 4, with 1 being the 'highest priority' and 4 'not a priority at all.' These percentages include the responses of those interpreters who identified the items as either a high(1), medium(2), or low priority(3).

Work flexibility tops the list. 96% of surveyed interpreters cite the ability to accept or reject assignments as a personal priority. 90% want to work on a per diem basis and vary their availability. 89% want the ability to take unpaid time off. 86% want the scope of their court work limited to interpreting in proceedings and related matters. 85% want to keep the option to contract independently outside the courts.

Worst Problems. Respondents were asked to rank a list of work-related subjects on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 equals 'a serious problem' and 5 means 'not aware of the problem'. These percentages reflect the combined responses of those interpreters who identified the items as either 'a serious problem'(1), 'somewhat of a problem'(2) and 'not much of a problem'(3).

78% of surveyed interpreters cite the lack of recognition and compensation for seniority or experience as a problem in working for the courts. 76% cite the fact that the courts' rates of compensation lag far behind rates in the private sector.

Three out of four surveyed interpreters say the courts value 'showing up more highly than language skills and ethical conduct.' 79% feel the courts lack respect for interpreters' skills. 77% think the professional standards of quality for interpreting in the state courts are too low. 61% find themselves prevented from exercising their professional judgment in the courts.
Eight out of ten surveyed interpreters do not get enough time to prepare or access to necessary information. 77% say team interpreting for long hearings is not a consistent practice where they work.

71% of interpreters surveyed feel they are at the mercy of the coordinator's office and 65% agree that court personnel exercise undue supervision over an interpreter's time and work. Three out of four say they are afraid of arbitrary work loss without notice and without recourse.

Greatest Concerns. Interpreters were asked to rank their concerns related to court work on a scale from 1 to 5 where 1 equals 'very concerned' and 5 means 'not aware of the issue.' The percentages are the combined responses of those who indicated they were not very(3), somewhat(2) or very concerned(1).

96% of interpreters say they are concerned by the lack of regular pay increases in the courts. 91% cite the lack of employer paid retirement benefits and 90% cite the lack of employer paid health benefits.

95% are concerned that interpreters cannot collectively negotiate a contract and 94% cite the absence of a grievance process.

95% identify the continued use of noncertified and nonregistered interpreters in the state's courts as a concern and 92% identify the use of telephone interpreting services.

94% of those surveyed express concern about the model contract created by the Judicial Council and 90% express concern that the JC is developing interpreter discipline procedures.

88% say interpreter services are poorly managed and 86% complain about the lack of interpreter training.

Top Ten Priorities for Improvements. Interpreters were asked to prioritize items related to court wages and benefits. These percentages include the responses of those interpreters who identified the items as either a high(1), medium(2), or low priority(3).

1. Regular pay increases (99%)
2. Grievance process (97%)
3. Collective bargaining rights (96%)
4. Paid sick leave (94%)
5. Workers compensation, disability and unemployment insurance (94%)
6. Employer paid health insurance (93%)
7. Retirement benefits (93%)
8. Paid vacations (93%)
9. A system that counts court work in all counties towards benefits eligibility & accrual (90%)
10. Union representation (89%)

An Employment System for Court Interpreters. 86% of surveyed interpreters say they want court employment if it includes an attractive salary, benefits and flexible scheduling. 14% want to continue working as independent contractors.

Interpreters strongly favor collective bargaining rights, with 80% of those surveyed agreeing that the inclusion of large numbers of interpreters in negotiations will give interpreters the best possible contract.

67% of surveyed interpreters agree that limited court employment positions and the continued use of independent contractors divides interpreters. 94% say they support the creation of an employment system for court interpreters, the stated goal of SB371.