Interpreting for Justice
In order to ensure that justice is done it is often necessary for the police and solicitors to employ interpreters when dealing with people with little or no English.
The law society guidelines advise that;
You should establish if a defendant or suspect has:
- Difficulty understanding or expressing themselves in English, in particular formal legal language
- A hearing or speech impediment,
- Is deaf
If the defendant or suspect is a foreign language speaker, you should:
- Ascertain the person’s preferred language
- Check for any regional variation in the language spoken
If the defendant or suspect is deaf, you should ascertain their preferred means of communication, for example, whether they use sign language or lip read.
You should discuss the client’s preferences before selecting an interpreter, for example, their sex, age, religion or the dialect spoken.
An example quoted by a solicitor states:
Our client was arrested and charged with robbery after a night in
the West End of London. The evidence against him was from officers
involved in undercover operations against ‘hugger muggers’ in
Central London and it was alleged he was working as part of a gang.
Our client did not speak English and we arranged interpreters
to take his instructions and prepare his case thoroughly. The use
of an interpreter also meant we were able to understand the
cultural issues in his defence and present these to the Court
This case went to trial lasting five days in front of a jury and
our client was found not guilty.
When selecting interpreters and translators the Law Society further advises that to find an interpreter of recognised quality, you may choose from the following:
Spoken language interpreters should have passed the Law Option of the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting or have met one of the following criteria:
- Obtained an appropriate skill or qualification
- Be on the internal firm’s list, as required by the Legal Services Commission (LSC) contract as being of an acceptable standard
North West Interpreters maintains a database of specialists and can provide people at all levels depending on need including DPSI and higher qualifications.
