The Hawaii State Judiciary announced Friday the following policy regarding Hawaiian language interpreters during courtroom proceedings:
“The Judiciary will provide or permit qualified Hawaiian language interpreters to the extent reasonably possible when parties in courtroom proceedings choose to express themselves through the Hawaiian language.”
In a Maui courtroom on Wednesday, Jan. 24, a judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Samuel Kaeo after he refused to answer questions in English.
The University of Hawaii Maui College associate professor can speak both English and Hawaiian, but chose to only speak in Hawaiian.
As a result, Judge Blaine Kobayashi said, “The court is unable to get a definitive determination for the record that the defendant seated in court is Mr. Samuel Kaeo.”
The bench warrant for Kaeo’s arrest was recalled the following day, but sparked much debate over the acceptance and use of the Hawaiian language in court, and whether it should have been handled differently.
In 1995, the Hawaii Supreme Court outlined the standards for determining the need for a court interpreter, but the order did not apply to individuals who already spoke English.
Now, the judiciary says, it is developing implementation procedures for the new policy, and welcomes input from the community.
Comments may be sent to pao@courts.hawaii.gov.
Individuals who are interested in serving as a court interpreter should contact the Office on Equality and Access to the Courts at (808) 539-4860 for further information.
Basic orientation workshops for court interpreters of all languages are scheduled across the state on the following dates and locations:
- Oahu: Feb. 24-25 or March 24-25 at the Supreme Court Building in downtown Honolulu
- Kauai: Feb. 13-14 at the Kauai Courthouse in Lihue
- Maui: Feb. 28-March 1 at the Maui Driver Education Office in the Main Street Promenade Building
- Hawaii Island (Kona): March 6-7 at the Kona Driver Education Office in the Kealakekua Business Plaza
- Hawaii Island (Hilo): March 15-16 at the Hilo Courthouse
The deadline to register is Jan. 31, 2018.
