Luis Mejia plays a vital role in the Kane County criminal justice system. He is a professional interpreter, sharing a load of about 700 cases a week with interpreter counterparts in the Elgin Branch Court.
Mejia’s job is to translate orally what is said in the courtroom into Spanish for defendants, witnesses and victims who don’t understand English. He also translates their responses back to English for the court.
Although born in the United States, he spent his early years in Mexico. When he began grade school in the United States, Mejia only spoke Spanish, and the English language gave him trouble through middle school.
In high school, English as a Second Language classes helped Mejia become fluent, and today he works doing medical and legal interpretation for Interlate Systems Inc., a well-established interpretation/translation service in Aurora.
