Pursuant to G.L. c. 221C § 7, Standards and Procedures of the Office of Court Interpreter Services shall be promulgated by the Committee for the Administration of Interpreters within the Massachusetts Trial Court (“Committee or The Committee”). By statute, the Committee consists of eight members (six judges and two clerk representatives), and such advisors as the Chief Justice of the Trial Court selects.
The Standards and Procedures establish guidelines that facilitate meaningful access to justice throughout the Trial Court for individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEPs) or who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (DHH) and protect their statutory right to interpreter services throughout a legal proceeding pursuant to G.L. c. 221C and G.L. c. 221, § 92A. This new edition of the Standards and Procedures maximizes the efficiency, quality, and uniformity of the Trial Court’s utilization of language access services and encourages the broadest use of interpreters throughout the Trial Court.
Standards and Procedures were initially developed by the Committee in 2003 and revised in 2009. In 2016, the Committee considered further revisions to align with interpreter services best practices. Revisions included adding terms relative to language access, introducing new roles, such as the regional coordinators and language access liaisons, and incorporating the screening, mentoring, and credentialing of per diem court interpreters. The revised Standards and Procedures became effective on January 1, 2021.
The Committee reconvened in the fall of 2023 to consider revisions to the Standards and Procedures, to include certain agreed-to revisions resulting from the settlement of a class action lawsuit brought against the Trial Court by the Massachusetts Association of Court Interpreters (see MACI v. EOTC, Suffolk Superior Court, Civil Action No. 1684CV00969). Following two Committee meetings and a public listening session held on October 27, 2023, the Committee approved certain proposed revisions to the 2021 Standards and Procedures. Following those meetings, Standards and Procedures were published in the Massachusetts Register on January 5, 2024 with notice of two public hearings. The public hearings were held on March 12 and March 19 at which the Committee received oral comments on the proposed Standards and Procedures. The Committee also accepted written comments for two weeks following the public hearings.
After due consideration of all comments and in accordance with G. L. c. 221C § 7(d), the Committee shall cause these final Standards and Proceduresto be published in the Massachusetts Register.