Okla. Stat. tit. 63, § 63-2409: Appointment of interpreter in court action or grand jury

proceeding.

A. In any case before any state or local court or grand jury,

wherein a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing is a litigant,

defendant, spectator as required by subtitle A of Title II of the

Americans with Disabilities Act, Pub. L. 101-336, witness, party,

prospective juror, or juror, the court shall, upon request, appoint

a qualified legal interpreter to interpret the proceedings to the

deaf or hard-of-hearing person and interpret testimony or statements

and to assist in preparation and communication with counsel within

the context of the court proceeding. The court shall not be

responsible for providing an interpreter for attorney-client

communications which are not immediately ancillary to the court

proceeding or for meetings at the private counsel's office. The

individual who is deaf or hard-of-hearing shall determine which type

of qualified legal interpreter or captioning best fits the needs of

the individual.

B. Efforts to obtain the services of a qualified legal

interpreter with the highest available level of certification, skill

and specialized training in the area of legal interpretation for the

deaf or hard-of-hearing will be made prior to accepting services of

an interpreter with lesser certification and skill. Once a

qualified legal interpreter is appointed, the interpreter shall be

afforded the time necessary to make a language assessment in order

to ensure effective communication, and to assess whether a deaf

interpreter may also be necessary. Based on the language

assessment, the interpreter will make recommendations to the court.

C. The provisions of this section shall be construed in

conjunction with Sections 1701 through 1710 of Title 20 of the

Oklahoma Statutes.