TYLER, Texas — As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, a spotlight is being placed on language access in the courtroom, a vital issue in communities with diverse populations.

Smith County, home to more than 200,000 residents and more than 20 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, according to a University of Texas at Tyler survey . Yet, the county currently employs only one full-time Spanish interpreter.

“If a witness is non-English speaking, their testimony about the facts of a case is very important,” Executive Director for the Hispanic American Association of East Texas Gilbert Urbina said.

Urbina is one of a handful of contracted interpreters in Smith County, whose work spans all the way to Dallas and Beaumont.

“For there to be a fair and just trial, the commun

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