He waived his right to a speedy trial and lied to the court about his language abilities. The day his case was dismissed there was a translator in the court and sworn in. But the richly deserved reference was for the judge.
If no such waiver exists then it was the prosecution's job to get the case to trial. Any objections or stalling by the defense should have been immediately met with a demand that he waive his speedy trial rights before the delay was allowed. It's the government's job to push for the trial, not his.