This is an interesting article about the shortage of interpreters in the South Dakota court system. The state only has about 80 qualified interpreters, and only a fraction of them speak the primary languages of non-English-speaking litigants: Spanish, Arabic, Swahili, and Dinka.
The lack of qualified interpreters presents a serious access to justice issue. It can delay cases or even corrupt proceedings if the interpreter translates incorrectly. Moreover, interpreters must have familiarity with the technical language of court proceedings in order to be effective.
The article suggests one technology-based solution: bringing in interpreters remotely through videoconferencing. This approach has its own challenges, including technical glitches and lag time, but it may be the best available response at the moment. Still, it only seems a matter of time before high-quality, reliable AI could be used for simultaneous courtroom translation.
The Interdependent Third Branch 