ATLANTA —
Cities and counties in metro Atlanta are spending substantial sums to provide interpreters for defendants who don’t speak English.
While much of the expense involves defendants who speak Spanish, officials say they also wind up providing interpreters for defendants who speak only Russian, Farsi or Korean.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Gwinnett County, which has one of the area’s most diverse populations, spent $539,803 in 2009 on court interpreters.
Georgia law requires that all defendants who lack skills in English be provided an interpreter. If the court approves a pauper’s affidavit in a civil case, an interpreter is furnished at no cost.
Under rules adopted by the state Supreme Court, defendants may be billed for interpreting costs.
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