California Pilot Video Program

Six California counties are joining together to use make sign language interpreters available through video-conferencing. Court officials say the move away from in-person interpreters will save as much as a million-and-a-half dollars statewide. The counties include Riverside, San Joaquin, Shasta, Stanislaus, Sonoma and Ventura counties. If this test runs works well over the next few months, county officials will expand the pilot program to other languages. Sign language interpreters are the second highest in demand in California courts. Only by Spanish interpreters are in greater demand. But there are fewer than 40 certified sign language interpreters regularly working in the California court system.