LAKE FOREST PARK — When 18-year-old Lisa Glancy was stopped for speeding last winter, little did she know the experience might lead her to a career possibility she had never considered, and an award from the court.
Glancy was late for school at Shorecrest High School in February 2002 and was picking up a friend at the last minute when she was stopped for going 32 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone.
It was her second speeding ticket.
“The first ticket I was able to waive by going through Teen Court, but now this one was going on my record,” Glancy said.
She went to Lake Forest Park Municipal Court to plead her case to do community service rather than have the speeding ticket on her record and have to pay the $100 fee.
During traffic court that day, several people came before Lake Forest Park Municipal Court Judge Linda Portnoy who did not speak English.
Portnoy asked if anyone in the room could speak Spanish and help interpret the court actions, and Glancy raised her hand.
“Traffic court is not required to provide state certified interpreters like criminal court is, so if a person hasn’t brought along a friend, I try to find someone in the courtroom who might speak enough Spanish who could assist me,” Portnoy said. “While Lisa is very shy, she raised her hand and is fluent in Spanish and was able to help resolve the ticket.”
Glancy said, “When I got done helping that person, two others stopped me on my way back to my seat and asked if I could interpret for them as well that day.”
When the court session was over, Judge Portnoy offered Glancy one-year probation if she would come to court every Monday to serve as an interpreter and fulfill 20 hours of community service.
“I was excited because I’d get to use my Spanish speaking skills and help someone out,” Glancy said. “And they really sincerely appreciate it.”
Glancy is fluent in Spanish because her mother is from Mexico City and speaks to her mostly in Spanish, she said. Her father is from Seattle.
She enjoyed doing the court interpreting so much, that once she completed her 20 hours of community service, she continued to come in on Mondays and help with the courts on her own time. Eventually she was offered a part-time job at the front desk of City Hall, and has been able to assist the courts when needed.
“A lot of the people in traffic court are in situations where they are not able to understand, and have been given a ticket and won’t even know what it means, so it can be very difficult for them,” she said. “Helping them has been a valuable experience.”
The courts thought so too. On May 22 Glancy received the City of Lake Forest Park Municipal Court Volunteer Award before the City Council.
“She really has gone above and beyond what we asked of her to do, and she has been providing a great service for traffic court,” said Portnoy.
“It was really an honor to receive the award,” Glancy said. Both her parents and grandmother attended the ceremony.
Glancy graduates from Shorecrest this June and plans to attend University of Washington in the fall. She said this experience has opened her eyes to a possible career field. State certified criminal court interpreters can make $40 an hour or more.
“I definitely plan on looking into it,” she said.
“If I hadn’t gotten that speeding ticket, I wouldn’t have had this great experience.”
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