What are the responsibilities and job description for the INTERPRETER (SPANISH)-EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT/HOMELESS INITIATIVE position at County of Los Angeles?
LOS ANGELES COUNTY PUBLIC DEFENDER
EXAM NUMBER:
L1154D-EA
RECRUITMENT TYPE:
Open Competitive - Emergency
WHO WE ARE
The Los Angeles County Public Defender is the nation's finest client-centered criminal defense firm, providing a beacon for evolutionary and revolutionary changes in the justice system.
WHEN TO APPLY
Applications will be accepted from Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at 8:00 a.m. (PT) until the needs of the service are met. Application filing is subject to closure without prior notice.
The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.
We are an essential contributor to LA County’s homelessness emergency response. Through its legal services, PD works to facilitate the diversion of thousands of low-income community members annually from LA County’s jails and into treatment services, as well as works to reduce the collateral social and economic impacts of contact with the criminal legal system, such as losing employment, social services, and housing. The collective services provided and supported by PD’s workforce have a direct and indirect positive impact on our local homelessness crisis.
WHO CAN APPLY
The Los Angeles County Public Defender is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Interpreter vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.
Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.
Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%
Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Interpreter.
ABOUT THE POSITION
The Interpreter position requires fluency in both English and a foreign language to perform interpretation (spoken word) and translation (written text) services to meet the legal and public needs of the clients of the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office under the general supervision of a Management Secretary V and perform related duties and routine clerical tasks as necessary.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTION INCLUDE BUT MAY NOT BE LIMITED TO:
- Interpreting or translating idiomatic expressions and literal information to and from English to Spanish on behalf of Public Defender staff and clients in person at various locations by phone, remotely, or virtually to discuss or obtain updates or information related to their case.
- Transcribing audio or video recordings and translating non-English conversations from voicemails, electronic text messages, and emails of clients and witnesses to support the work of attorney staff on their assigned cases.
- Translating legal documents for clients; translating and interpreting written and typed case-related documents submitted by the clients to attorneys; and providing typed translations from English to the foreign language issued by the attorneys to their clients.
- Receiving telephone calls from clients and clients’ relatives and/or friends; and accurately documenting the information to convey to the assigned attorney and/or legal support staff.
Six months of experience in interpreting and translating* from English to Spanish.
You MUST meet the above requirement(s) in order to be appointed to fill any vacancies related to this recruitment
LICENSE
A valid California Class “C” Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.
PHYSICAL CLASS II - LIGHT
This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION
*Experience in translating is defined as converting text from a source language into a target language. In contrast, experience in interpreting is defined as working with the spoken word, converting speech from a source language into a target language. Required experience in translating and interpreting is in law, criminal defense, or criminal justice. It requires an in-depth knowledge of the subject and its terminology in source and target languages.
OUR ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Before the end of your initial work assignment, the appointing department will evaluate your performance. Those who achieve a passing score on this evaluation will be considered for permanent appointment. If permanently appointed to the position, you will be subject to a probationary period based on the classification.
VACANCY INFORMATION
The selected applicants under this Emergency Appointment recruitment effort will be appointed to fill vacancies within the Los Angeles County Public Defender. The appointees to these positions must be willing to work in any Los Angeles County location and may be subject to transfer at any time.
- APPLICATIONS MUST BE FILED ONLINE ONLY and will be reviewed for interview consideration on an ongoing basis. If you have not been contacted for an interview within 60 days of submitting your application, and the recruitment remains open or reopens for filing, we encourage you to submit a new application. This will allow you to reaffirm your interest and update any relevant information.
- Apply online by clicking on the green "Apply" button for this posting. Please review your application for accuracy before submitting it. You can also track the status of your application by visiting Governmentjobs.com and logging into your account.
- Many important notifications such as application notices and initial appointment letters will be sent electronically to the email address provided on your application. It is your responsibility to provide a valid email address and review all notifications sent to you. Please add Exams@pubdef.lacounty.gov, MHerrera@pubdef.lacounty.gov, Personnel@pubdef.lacounty.gov, noreply@governmentjobs.com, and info@governmentjobs.com to your email address book and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered or blocked as spam/junk/clutter email.
- Applicants can opt out of emails from Los Angeles County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any examination notifications. You can always access some of these notifications by logging into your profile inbox at Governmentjobs.com which saves a copy of all emailed notices. It is your responsibility to take the above steps to view correspondence.
- Plan to submit your online application well in advance of the first day of filing as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on Governmentjobs.com, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.
- The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Minimum Requirements. Fill out your application and Supplemental Questionnaire completely. Provide any relevant job experience in the spaces provided when prompted, so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week and description of work performed. Incomplete applications will be rejected.
- Please note that all information included in the application materials is subject to VERIFICATION at any point during the application, review, selection, and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. FALSIFICATION of any information may result in DISQUALIFICATION.
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.
COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County. Applicants can find out more information about select in-person library services and locations by visiting the Los Angeles County Library website.
NO SHARING OF USER ID AND PASSWORD
All applicants must file their application online using their OWN user ID and password.
Using a family member's or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.
FAIR CHANCE INITIATIVE
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.
ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (ARDI)
The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Human Resources is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst races. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.
Questions? Contact us:
Exam Number: L1154D-EA
Department Contact Name: Minoja Herrera
Department Contact Phone: (213) 460-8075
Department Contact Email: Exams@pubdef.lacounty.gov
ADA Coordinator Email: Exams@pubdef.lacounty.gov
California Relay Service Phone: (800) 735-2922
Teletype Phone: (800) 899-4099
Salary : $61,065 - $66,237
