Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

King County District Court wins national award for interpreter Web site

King County District Court receives national

award for interactive interpreter Web site

Seattle, Washington – King County District Court has been presented the prestigious 2006 Justice Achievement Award, which is bestowed on one court each year by the National Association of Court Management (NACM).

The Justice Achievement Award was established by NACM to publicly recognize courts and related organizations for meritorious projects and exemplary accomplishments that enhance the administration of justice. In 2004, King County District Court’s Mental Health Court received an Honorable Mention award.

The 2006 Justice Achievement Award was presented to the court in recognition of the King County District Court Interpreter Web (KCIW).

This web-based system empowers District Court clerks, court administration staff, and court interpreters to efficiently and conveniently manage scheduling and assignment of interpreter services at all ten District Court locations. This includes civil, criminal, and probation matters, as well as other District Court business requiring an interpreter. A public access feature allows the public to view the system to check whether or not an interpreter is assigned to a case. The KCIW has numerous reporting features built in to database modules which support efforts of the Court to quantify its interpreter use for budget and strategic planning. It has an automated vouchering and payment feature as well, which significantly cuts the time and associated costs with regard to interpreter payment and auditing.

The web system takes full advantage of economies of scale principles, reducing the cost of interpreter services by consolidating jobs and by automating the scheduling and interpreter payment systems. Most importantly, the District Court Interpreter Web serves the community by facilitating access to justice for those persons who are speech or hearing impaired or non-English speaking.

For additional information on the King County District Court Interpreter Web, contact Richard Robillard, Court Manager, at (206) 205-0639.

ABOUT KING COUNTY DISTRICT COURT – King County District Court is part of the judicial branch of King County government and the largest court of limited jurisdiction in the state of Washington. It is currently responsible for processing about a quarter of a million matters per year. In the year ending 2005, District Court processed 7,584 interpretive jobs. District Court has only 1.5 staff dedicated to handling all of its interpreter needs because of the automation provided by the Interpreter Web.