Non-English Speaking Clients

I think one of my greatest assets as a volunteer for legal aid is that I am fluent and/or proficient in Polish, French, and Spanish.  A large number of clients we have at legal aid speak Spanish with a varying amount of English language skill.  It is often difficult to help these clients since most volunteers do not speak Spanish.  Often they have to wait for Connie (one of the Spanish speaking receptionists) to come in the room to translate.  I volunteered to take all the Spanish speaking clients.  As someone who grew up with Polish as my native language, I know how it feels to be a non-English speaker.  Connie is fantastic and a great translator, but there is always something lost in translation.  Also, directly communicating with my client builds a greater sense of trust and connection.  Of course my Spanish skills are not flawless and I would be transparent about this fact.  Every single non-English speaker was gladly willing to be patient and work with me as we pieced together the story.  I found these to be some of the most rewarding clients I met with.  Also, I noted that not a single Spanish speaking client ever treated me rudely (unfortunately I found it common among clients I met at Legal Aid to take their frustrations out on the volunteer).  I believe there is definitely value in connecting with someone in their language and empathizing with their culture.  Sometimes this is overlooked in law; it is, however, more emphasized in ADR practice.