Court Interpreter Services is an integral part of the trial process, as is the presence of a lawyer. Although, on the other hand, if we talk about the profession of a court interpreter services in London, then it is in its infancy.
If you look at the very beginning of the birth of the profession, then there was no system for accrediting court interpreters of One Step Translation (OST) and before the immediate start of work, the translator was not required to present any documents that would prove knowledge of the language. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that at that time no one knew exactly what exactly a court interpreter should translate, how he should behave and what to do. That is why conflict situations arose very often between judges, lawyers, the defendant/accused and the interpreter. To date, the profession is clearly regulated, and only translators who have the required documentary evidence of their knowledge and professional qualities are allowed to work in court.
An interpreter working in court must be well versed in law, know the language and be able to communicate. In addition, the interpreter must have a high level of self-control and understand how important the accuracy of the translation is. The requirements for interpretation in court are quite strict and therefore a court interpreter must solve many problems in order to achieve linguistic and cultural equivalence. It should also not be forgotten that when working in court, an interpreter repeatedly encounters contradictory situations, moral dilemmas, and therefore he must behave impeccably.
The term court interpreting is applied to a fairly wide range of types of Interpreting Services– it is not necessarily interpreting that takes place in a courtroom. This also includes interpretation at the police station, in the prison, at the immigration department, etc. The main task of a court interpreter is to ensure mutual understanding between the applicants, the accused/defendant and the court at all stages of the trial/investigation. In any situation and under any circumstances, the court interpreter must interpret in such a way as to include everything that has been said, while he must try to maintain the tone and style of the language, it is strictly forbidden to change what is said in any way or to supplement.
Our court interpreters encounter people of different nationalities, age groups, religious and cultural worldviews. That is why our court interpreter must have a rich vocabulary and be well versed in the intricacies of cultural and religious issues. Therefore, in addition to linguistic skills, court interpreters will also need an understanding of legal procedures. In doing so, they must maintain an impartial attitude and confidentiality. Quality translation in court does not just mean meeting the client’s needs, but meeting certain ethical standards to ensure the accuracy of the legal process.
In addition, the courtroom is a battlefield where the main weapon is the eloquence and virtuosity of the word. But if someone who cannot speak the language of the trial is participating in this battle, then the main task of the court interpreter is to make this person a full participant in such battles. The court interpreting here bears not only moral, professional and legal responsibility, but also personal responsibility to the defendant for the accuracy of the transmission of his message. It must be remembered that court interpreter of OST is distinguished from a presentation interpreter by strict etiquette requirements: court interpreting must simply clearly translate the message, without conveying the movements and facial expressions of the speaker. If the message cannot be fully conveyed, the interpreter must inform the court of this.
A court interpreter, like no one else, must understand the importance of confidentiality. Also, a court interpreter a priori must adhere to a strict protocol, and in some countries they are also required to provide all kinds of assistance to colleagues: the interpreter must be solidary and avoid disputes in order to maintain his own dignity in each case and not lose the face of the profession as a whole.
But no matter what they say, the main requirement in the profession of a court interpreter is preparation. Ideally, before starting a trial, the interpreter should be familiar with the case file, delve into the details and become familiar with the vocabulary and terminology required for that particular trial. According to the regulations, a court interpreter must immediately inform in cases where he cannot take part in court hearings due to ethical, moral, religious or other considerations.
