Elaine Salgado Presents at Personal Injury Primer for Paralegals Seminar

Elaine Salgado, a bilingual paralegal at WKW, presented at a seminar for the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association. Her presentation was titled “Misconceptions, Misunderstandings, and Misinterpretations: The Pitfalls to Avoid with Cross-Cultural Clients.” Elaine addressed a room full of attorneys and paralegals from all over the state of Indiana and explained the cultural differences in the Latino population, pointing out the importance of the attorney or paralegal to inform the Spanish speaking potential client that everything said to them is confidential as well as taking the time to explain the legal process to them.

In her seminar, Elaine also addressed the rights of undocumented immigrants and wage loss claims of undocumented workers. Indiana has not addressed wage loss claims by undocumented workers, but these claims are not generally barred.

Elaine explained when attorneys need to hire an interpreter/translator, what type of interpreter/translator is needed, and where to find an interpreter/translator who is a certified court interpreter. She also demonstrated how to communicate using an interpreter by speaking normally and pausing frequently to let the interpreter work.

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