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15/03/2012
Court Translators Protesting Contract Change
A dispute over the privatisation of court translation services has seen interpreters protesting outside the Ministry of Justice and Commons.
The Professional Interpreters Alliance (PIA) said 60% of its members have chosen to boycott court work over poorer pay and conditions.
They also said the incompetent interpreters are now being used and courts should return to using registered freelancers instead of going via a single agency.
The Ministry of Justice have claimed the new system is more efficient.
PIA director and Dutch interpreter Madeleine Lee told the BBC: "We're hearing reports of people seeing not just one terrified face sitting in the dock but the defendant and the interpreter next to them looking terrified and mute and not doing what an interpreter is supposed to do which is actually talk."
Pay rates for interpreters used to a flat fee of £85 with an additional quarter-hourly after three hours, plus travel costs and expenses. The new rate sees a three tier hourly rate of £16, £20 and £22 and no travel costs or expenses.
"You may find yourself spending an entire day at court and actually only taking home the one hour minimum that they undertake to pay you, which could be as low as £16," Ms Lee said.
A 49-page log of issues over the past six weeks has been compiled highlighting 194 incidents where things have gone wrong - for example when interpreters have failed to show up.
By mid-February such problems led the Ministry of Justice to advise courts to revert for a time to the previous system.
A ministry spokesman acknowledged that there had been an unacceptable number of problems in the first few weeks but said there had been a "marked improvement" since.
Chairman of the Lincolnshire branch of the Magistrates Association David Evans said issues with translators could severely disrupt the work of the courts.
"Everybody's entitled to a fair hearing in court - if they can't understand fully what's happening, it's not a fair hearing - it can't go ahead," he said.
"Cases have to be adjourned, people have to be released sometimes several times before the case is finally heard. I have heard words like 'disaster' and 'chaos' used - and I don't think they're too strong at the moment."
Mr Evans said that the contract had been in place since 1 February "surely that's time for a large company to get its act together".
(H)
The Professional Interpreters Alliance (PIA) said 60% of its members have chosen to boycott court work over poorer pay and conditions.
They also said the incompetent interpreters are now being used and courts should return to using registered freelancers instead of going via a single agency.
The Ministry of Justice have claimed the new system is more efficient.
PIA director and Dutch interpreter Madeleine Lee told the BBC: "We're hearing reports of people seeing not just one terrified face sitting in the dock but the defendant and the interpreter next to them looking terrified and mute and not doing what an interpreter is supposed to do which is actually talk."
Pay rates for interpreters used to a flat fee of £85 with an additional quarter-hourly after three hours, plus travel costs and expenses. The new rate sees a three tier hourly rate of £16, £20 and £22 and no travel costs or expenses.
"You may find yourself spending an entire day at court and actually only taking home the one hour minimum that they undertake to pay you, which could be as low as £16," Ms Lee said.
A 49-page log of issues over the past six weeks has been compiled highlighting 194 incidents where things have gone wrong - for example when interpreters have failed to show up.
By mid-February such problems led the Ministry of Justice to advise courts to revert for a time to the previous system.
A ministry spokesman acknowledged that there had been an unacceptable number of problems in the first few weeks but said there had been a "marked improvement" since.
Chairman of the Lincolnshire branch of the Magistrates Association David Evans said issues with translators could severely disrupt the work of the courts.
"Everybody's entitled to a fair hearing in court - if they can't understand fully what's happening, it's not a fair hearing - it can't go ahead," he said.
"Cases have to be adjourned, people have to be released sometimes several times before the case is finally heard. I have heard words like 'disaster' and 'chaos' used - and I don't think they're too strong at the moment."
Mr Evans said that the contract had been in place since 1 February "surely that's time for a large company to get its act together".
(H)
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