Unusual language barrier causes problem for Georgia court

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – A rare language barrier has created a translation challenge for a Georgia court.

The Gainesville Times reports 53-year-old Marcos Jose-Jose appeared Tuesday at a hearing in Gainesville. He speaks a Mayan language known as Q’anjob’al which is spoken primarily in Guatemala. He’s also charged with child molestation and trafficking a person for sexual servitude.

During the hearing, English to Spanish translator Guillermo Arenas spoke on the phone in Spanish to a Q’anjob’al interpreter, who then translated to Jose-Jose in his native language. Translation issues cut the hearing short.

Arenas says it’s difficult to find a translator familiar with the language and also trained to work in a legal environment.

Jose-Jose’s attorney Andy Maddox says the court is working on finding a better way to communicate with his client.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.gainesvilletimes.com