The Cincinnati Enquirer English is the language of the land, but it's increasingly sharing time in Tristate courtrooms with tongues from around the world. From French and Fulani to Spanish and Susu, the list ranges from familiar to far-flung. The growing number of immigrants and their involvement in criminal and civil cases has created an increasing demand for interpreters. That puts an additional burden on court money and time.
Courts often pay for translators, and cases with interpreters usually involve longer proceedings.
When unusual languages pop up, court personnel scramble to find interpret ers. They don't always succeed. A Butler County court had to dismiss a minor misdemeanor charge against Ghanaian Rimmy Amakye a year ago because it couldn't locate someone who spoke Twi. It is one of 71 languages spoken in Ghana, and also is spoken in Sudan. Interpreter Samuel Asmal sat next to him recently during a preliminary hearing and trial.