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Queens, one of the most linguistically diverse areas on Earth, is at the forefront of the battle to save thousands of the world’s languages expected to disappear in the next century.

In a borough renowned for its diversity, linguists believe there are many individuals who speak languages in danger of disappearing, extinguishing humanity’s chance to gain insight into nearly extinct cultures whose history and stories could be forever lost.

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A committee has started a study aimed at improving the use of interpreters and translators in South Dakota’s court system. State Supreme Court Justice David Gilbertson appointed the panel of judges, lawyers and court personnel. He says he hopes the committee will provide recommendations on using interpreters in courtrooms.

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Who wrote the Milan Kundera you love? Answer: Michael Henry Heim. And what about the Orhan Pamuk you think is so smart? Maureen Freely. Or the imaginatively erudite Roberto Calasso? Well, that was me.

The translator should do his job and then disappear. The great, charismatic, creative writer wants to be all over the globe. And the last thing he wants to accept is that the majority of his readers are not really reading him.

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Twenty students are holding several animated small-group discussions, but no one in this Northern Illinois University classroom utters a word.

Their fingers weave in complex patterns as they converse in American Sign Language, which the university has declared an official foreign language.

To the students, the new label is fitting: They say that American Sign Language is distinct from spoken English and that its coursework provides a new perspective akin to the cultural immersion they’d experience in French, Spanish or other traditional language classes.

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The NYPD is up for review, and they better brush up on their foreign language.

The Justice Department is auditing New York City in terms of how they deal with New Yorkers who don’t speak English. New York is just one of many audits around the country.

It’s all part of an investigation into language barriers during police encounters, and whether or not they lead to violations of invidviduals’ civil rights. The audit will examine whether language barriers affect things like the filing of complaints or emergency calls.

The federal government has done similar audits in the past, but this is the first time New York City is being investigated.

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The European Commission said it welcomes Thursday’s vote on fair trial rights in the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE).

The Committee supported with an overwhelming majority a high standard of protection for suspects’ interpretation and translation rights in criminal proceedings, anywhere in the European Union. The vote backs EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding’s call for the right to interpretation throughout the entire judicial procedure, translation for all documents and a guarantee of getting advice from a lawyer before waiving such rights.

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A NDP private member’s bill – Bill C-232 – passed the House of Commons last week. The legislation would require that all future Supreme Court justices be bilingual. Specifically, the act says that:

“Section 5 of the Supreme Court Act is renumbered as subsection 5(1) and is amended by adding the following:

(2) In addition, any person referred to in subsection (1) may be appointed a judge who understands French and English without the assistance of an interpreter.”

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BRUSSELS (Reuters Life!) – It’s a high-pressure job that keeps the European Union functioning, but you seldom see the people doing it — you only ever hear them.

Interpreters are the link that allows 27 countries to talk to one another, conveying the complexities of EU affairs into 23 official languages and preventing the European Union enterprise descending into Tower-of-Babel-like confusion.

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Some court interpreters in California who specialize in Mandarin, Russian and Armenian say they are getting squeezed out of long-held jobs because of a certification process they believe is flawed.

Many say they have taken the state-mandated written and oral tests several times but were unable to pass despite having demonstrated fluency and skill. The issue has created professional problems for some, and it could have broader implications as the courts’ ability to find qualified interpreters becomes further strained.

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When Florida legislators passed a law four years ago requiring court interpreters to be certified, advocates hailed it as a huge step for non-English speakers to access justice in the courtroom.

But court and independent interpreters, as well as advocates, now say the law only put in place a mechanism for the certification of interpreters with no guarantee circuit courts will use them.