The Pew Research Center says the number of Arabic speakers in the United States has risen dramatically since 1980.
At Maricopa County Superior Court, officials say Spanish is the only language that more people seek help with than Arabic.
Contractors were always the go-to in Superior Court when someone was needed to translate Arabic.
Now officials have hired a staff member with a long list of legal and interpreter credentials.
Zenab Khouder speaks nine regional dialects of Arabic, such as Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian. She has vast experience and was a freelance interpreter for years.
“And I’m excited about settling down, having one job, a desk and working,” said Khouder.
Khouder will train for about a month before she officially starts interpreting Arabic in the courtroom.
