To the Editor:
I’m Lilia Rosolen. I live in Croton-on-Hudson, and I grew up in a bilingual Puerto Rican family in a predominantly white community.
Most of my family speaks English well. But not everyone does. My Abuelita and some of my aunts were always more comfortable speaking Spanish, and growing up, I saw how easily family members can find themselves stepping in — explaining something, translating a conversation, helping someone understand what was said.
If you come from a bilingual family, you know the drill. Someone doesn’t quite understand, so someone else steps in. Most of the time, that’s just family helping family.
In a courtroom, it’s a different animal.
My mother saw that firsthand during the many years she worked in the South Bronx. She regularly worked with Spanish-dominant families and remembers parents who were fearful or hesitant about going to court because they worried they wouldn’t understand what was happening or be able to communicate effectively. At one point, she connected families who needed help with a friend who worked as a Spanish interpreter in New York.
Those stories stayed with me because they reinforced something I already understood from my own family: being able to get by in English isn’t the same as being able to understand and advocate for yourself when the stakes are high. It truly breaks my heart to think that this is something that people are faced with every day. It’s not right.
Village court is tickets, code violations, small claims, landlord problems. Nobody’s there on a good day. And nobody should have to rely on their child, relative, or friend to understand what’s happening or to speak for them.
That’s why I’m for Ali Jaffery’s push to make Spanish-language interpretation consistently available in our Village Court. He’s been talking about this since he started running, and I believe it’s something our community should take seriously.
Vote for whoever you want. But don’t act like this is a small thing. Language access is about making sure everyone who walks into our court can understand, participate, and have a voice.
Lilia Rosolen
Croton-on-Hudson
