Multilingual societies can be exhilarating, but they also pose a challenge to law enforcement. When police officers interact with nonnative English speakers, important decisions may need to be made on using trained translators and interpreters. Making the wrong decision can result in misunderstandings that carry serious legal consequences and municipal attorneys need to recognize these consequences so they can advise their clients effectively.

In their February Illinois Bar Journal article, coauthors Allen Wall, James V. Ferolo, Anthony G. Becknek, and Jonathan M. Priest—all attorneys with Klein, Thorpe and Jenkins, Ltd.—examine when municipalities need to provide their law enforcement personnel with translators during their involvement with community members who are not proficient English speakers. By considering several examples of police officer interactions with persons having limited English language proficiency, the coauthors identity certain factors that can help police departments and municipal officials determine when translators should be used. The article also makes suggestions regarding when attorneys representing non-English individuals should seek language assistance for their clients.

Read "Failures to Communicate" in the February IBJ.