"Equal Justice Under Law", reads the motto atop the U.S. Supreme Court building. The words are lofty, but for the thousands of people who trudge through the criminal-justice system daily and who speak no English, the phrase means legally nothing. For many of these defendants, the words are also legally empty. American justice for those who do not comprehend English is "anything but uniform, let alone understandable. There are no nationwide standards for court interpreters, little training and virtually no monitoring. "Everybody gets a piece of due process", says David Fellmeth, a senior court interpreter in New York City. "But how big a piece depends on the interpreter". Horror stories regularly fill court dockets. In a New York federal court, a translated undercover wire quotes a Cuban defendant: "I don"t even have the ten kilos". The defendant means kilos of currency (Cuban cents), but the translated statement suggests kilograms of drugs. In a New Jersey homicide trial, the prosecutor asks whether the testimony of a witness is lengthier than the translation. "Yes", responds the Polish interpreter, "but everything else was not important". Congress tried to surmount the language barriers in the federal courts by passing legislation eleven years ago authorizing Government-paid interpreters for those who do not speak English. So far, though, only 308 people have passed the rigorous Spanish-only federal certification process—a cadre far too small to handle the 43,000 annual requests for interpreters in 60 languages. The situation in the states is breaker. Last year Cook County, IH, processed 40,000 requests, and the New York courts sought out interpreters 250 times a day. As in the federal system, Spanish is the language most in demand. Only a handful of states test their interpreters for language skills. Thus in many local courts, translation may be a free-lance project for the secretary who speaks a little French or a favor requested from a relative of the defendant. "A family member is the worst person you can use", says Maureen Dunn, an interpreter for the deaf. "They have their own side of the story, and they add and omit things". Besides, interpretation is a sophisticated art. It demands not only a broad vocabulary and instant recall but also the ability to reproduce tone and nuance and a good working knowledge of street slang. "Most people believe that if you are bilingual, you can interpret", says Jack Leeth of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. "That"s about as true as saying that if you have two hands, you can automatically be a concert pianist". Professional interpreters are among the first to admit the sad state of translation in the courts. They are often relegated to clerical status, with low pay, and asked to work without time to prepare. Says New York interpreter Gabriel Felix: "We could use a central administrator, dictionaries and in some courts a place to hang our coats, a chair and a desk." Some jurisdictions are trying to make improvements. New York and New Jersey are broadening their testing and sending their interpreters to school for further training. The Federal Government is working on new requirements for Navajo and Haitian-Creole interpreters. And in Los Angeles a federal lawsuit is demanding certified interpreters in immigration proceedings. For now, however, the quality of court interpreting around the country depends on the luck of the draw.