Does Speaking Zero Languages Make You the Perfect Criminal? By Max FisherJan 13, 2011 Juan Jose Gonzalez Luna cannot speak, write, or understand any languages. He is deaf, mute, illiterate, never learned a formal sign language, and can communicate only through improvised pantomime. He is also, as it happens, an alleged drug mule currently on trial in Pennsylvania on drug trafficking charges. But, as The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeremy Roebuck explains, Luna's total language deficiency makes prosecuting him incredibly difficult. Accommodating those with limited access to language is a rare problem in U.S. courts, but one that judges have met with limited success. Many have avoided the problem, declaring such defendants incompetent to stand trial. Others have relied on a complex and imperfect method of interpretation, one still viewed with skepticism by many in the legal profession. And while most courts say they do their best, a good effort is not good enough, said Michele LaVign...