Who are we in the eyes of the Court?

Salem residents being called to serve on a Municipal Court Jury are being asked to call 503 588-6146 on the morning of the scheduled trial. This is to confirm if the case is still on the schedule. Hey, why not save a trip.

Yep, old hat! Been there, done that and know the routine.

However, I listened closely as it seems . . . the message has changed!

Now, when calling you first hear a short recorded greeting in English.

This quickly stops and morphs into a Lengthy explanation message recorded in Spanish.

This lengthy message includes which numbers to enter, to do what, when.

Once that is complete the message changes back to English and then explains in detail what the Spanish speakers already know.

Guess who comes in second?

Correct me if I am wrong, but am I to understand that we English Speaking US Citizens could well suffer being judge by a person who doesn't understand the English Language we speak?

Spanish speakers that can't speak or understand English are our peers? Don't figure!

Is it that an English speaking person now must rely the product of an interpreter to translate and deliver our argument in our defense . . . in Spanish?

So what about the nuances of verbal communication such as tone of voice and inflection? Are we allowing an English/Spanish Interpreter to spin the message to their liking?

Guess we all know those folks are, right?

I think we have a Real Big problem here.