Legal Interpreter Project (LIP)

Since few legal organizations in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area have attorneys or staff members who speak Asian languages, the APALRC launched the Legal Interpreter Project (LIP) in the fall of 2001 to supplement its Helpline project. Through LIP, the APALRC recruits community members to undergo a two-day training program on legal interpretation. The APALRC currently has a pool of 54 trained interpreters, whose skills span 26 different Asian languages. Once a client is referred from the Helpline to a legal services organization, the APALRC is able to provide the client with a trained legal interpreter, thereby ensuring that their preferred language does not continue to present a barrier to necessary services. The APALRC’s legal interpreters have assisted with on-site interpretation for attorney-client meetings, interpretation via telephone, and translation of affidavits and other important documents.