There are 2,700 in Minnesota courtrooms every year that require Somali interpreters.

There are 69 registered Somali interpreters that can be called upon by Minnesota courts. These men and women have passed an ethics exam, which measures their understanding of the role of interpreters (to be the voice and ears of people with limited English skills — not to give legal advice).

Developed by the National Consortium for Language Access in the Courts, pass rates for the oral certification are low. About 24 percent of test-takers pass the full and abbreviated exams offered for most languages. For some, such as Arabic and Cantonese, the pass rate dips to single digits.

Over the past decade, about 2,000 Somalis have immigrated to Minnesota each year, state data show. It is the state’s growing Somali community — the largest in the U.S. — that prompted the certification exam in the language, said Heidi Barba, director of the state’s court interpreter program.

See: WCCO