Interpretor is key in court system

By KEVIN YOUNG

GLASGOW — Liset Espinoza knows how it feels to be in over her head with a new language. She remembers the panic and the confusion that can only happen when one’s thoughts and words cannot match. The language barrier is a different width for each individual, but with Espinoza’s help, that gap is eased for Spanish language speakers appearing in Barren County’s courtrooms.

Espinoza, 29, is a court interpretor in addition to her duties as a paralegal in the Gillenwater, Hampton and Bell Law Firm in Glasgow. She said that communication gap can be scary for some, including herself when first learning the language in a new country.

“Everything was completely foreign to me. It was awful. But it was also a blessing, because it has allowed me to communicate and I have a good job and I have good friends. But it was hard, it was really, really hard,” she said.

Her family moved from the small, central Mexican town of San Luis Potosi all the way to Bakersfield, Calif. when she was just 10 years old. But she said the move did not make her feel too out of place, because she didn’t have to know any English in California.

“I didn’t learn any English whatsoever in California. I spoke only Spanish over there. I was there for around three years and the only English word I knew is when people said ‘hi’ to each other,” she said. “California is another Mexico, let’s put it that way.”

It wasn’t until her father’s job with Eagle Industries required the family to move again, this time to Bowling Green, that Espinoza, the eldest of 7 children, needed to start learning the new language.

“I vividly remember going to Western Union, and learning words that I had no idea what they meant because of the transaction that was going on. And I learned new words in Spanish that I didn’t know what they meant but I had to learn them in order to help my parents,” she said. “I was learning as I was interpreting, if you want to call it interpreting. I’m not really sure what it was.”

She said her teachers in the Warren County schools system tried their best to accommodate her and teach slowly, but at that time there was no individual instruction for English as second language students. She was placed into large classes that taught completely in English, so she had to take a lot of the instruction into her own hands, including matching words to each other in her science textbook.

“I didn’t have any English classes specifically aimed at teaching me the language, so I just picked it up in other classes,” she said. “One big difference from when I moved here to now, you have educators who come in and try to teach the students English. And it is great because you don’t have to sit in the middle of a bunch of kids in class and not know what is going on. So it’s a really good thing. I don’t want to say anything bad about my teachers, because I know my teachers tried their best with me but I learned my own way.”

Espinoza stayed in the Bowling Green area after graduating from school, got married and found a job with the Barren River District Health Department working with young Spanish speaking women. There, she was able to begin applying her interpreting skills to help others in need.

“I was a resource person for pregnant Spanish speaking women, and I had to interpret a lot there. I was helping them set up appointments with doctors, vaccinations for the children, pretty much anything they needed from the health department or just resources for the Hispanic women in general.”

That job led her to working with Johnny Bell in his law office, and she said her court interpreting started soon after. The disdain she felt translating as a child had quickly turned around into a great appreciation and new life passion as an adult. She said that often Hispanic individuals appearing in court are relieved to see her when they walk into the room.

“I did not enjoy it as a child but I do as an adult, and I think that’s the reason why, because I have been there myself. I have been in that position when you are standing there and have no idea what is going on. You can only see expressions and you can only see body language, and other than that you have nothing,” she said. “I know what it’s like and I like to be able to provide that bridge, that gap, that’s missing in communication. And I like being able to feel like I am able to help somebody in that way. It’s rewarding, it really is.”

Her interpreting services help the court hearings and trials go smoothly, and she provides an invaluable resource to the community, said Evelyn Jones, Barren County court clerk.

“Liset is wonderful. She is one of our favorites,” Jones said. “One time, she was here interpreting for three people at once. I don’t know how she does it all.”

Although the Hispanic community in this part of the country is largely migrant in nature due to work availability, she said that the resources in Glasgow have grown, as is evident with the several Mexican restaurants and stores. But she said there needs to be more to help the Hispanic population transition into the American way of life.

“I think there is a lot more now compared to when I first came here, but I still think there could be more. And of course the economy has affected it I’m sure, but I still think there could be more provided for the Hispanics. So I think there should be somewhere where they can go to receive some kind of help to guide them in different ways that they can do. They are in a new culture, and they don’t know how our culture is, and they don’t understand it, so I think some kind of community center or something like that that would be able to lead them on questions like health care or the legal system would be great,” she said.

After now spending more than half of her life in south central Kentucky, Espinoza said she feels like this is her home and that the community as a whole is largely welcoming and receptive towards its Hispanic members.

“I think here in Glasgow the citizens are welcoming to the Hispanics. I have of course gone through that myself. I’m sure there are people out there who feel some hostility, but I do think the majority is welcoming. Myself and my family, we have always felt welcome here. This is our home.”

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