Our History

Since 1979, NCI has strived to ensure the rights of people with limited English proficiency here in the United States. In that time, we have trained and tested thousands of interpreters and defined the field of court interpretation.

Our efforts have attracted attention locally, nationally and internationally. Over the years, we have developed the finest court interpretation training program in the country (the Agnese Haury Institute); developed the model for interpreter certification (the Federal Court Interpreter Certification Exam); worked with a variety of state and local agencies to develop training and certification across a variety of language and culture groups (Spanish, Navajo, Cantonese, and Inupiat, for example); and, we have consulted with officials from Australia, Spain, Japan, and Mexico (as well as organizations throughout the United States) to help them in their efforts to support the rights of language minorities in their own countries or regions. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we are very flattered, indeed.

While we continue to work in support of all language minorities, much of our work has focused on the rights and access to services of the Latino community here at home. As this community grows, the need to ensure effective communication becomes all the more pressing and important.

We continue to be extremely heartened by the growing recognition of the importance of ensuring equality and access to language minorities. Executive Order 13166 amply demonstrates federal recognition of this too often neglected civil rights issue. This recognition has begun to lead to action.

Moreover, the commendable response of federal agencies to 13166 in their effort to provide guidance to recipients of their funds has shown them to be serious and sincere in their efforts to ensure equal rights.