Ireland: Courts Service considers implementing AI translators in bid to save money

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41886148.html

27 July 2026

Courts Service considers implementing AI translators in bid to save money

The Courts Service is considering implementing an AI translation service to save money and speed up hearings.

The service spends approximately €4m on translation and interpretation services annually.

The AI alternative is at a “proof-of-concept” stage, and the Courts Service says further “development and evaluation is required”.

Testing is underway “to measure accuracy”.

A digital audio recording AI assistant project has already passed initial testing and will be rolled out in a controlled deployment during September and October, “subject to readiness”.

At an Oireachtas committee on artificial intelligence, Courts Service chief information officer Owen Harrison previously said: “It is hoped that we will be able to give members of the judiciary and the courts options for moving cases along in respect of small procedural matters that need a translation capability in the room that is not immediately available and could otherwise lead to adjournments in order to bring back a person to get over that hurdle.

“A number of judges want to see whether we can do anything in this space.”

Courts Service CEO Angela Denning said Spain uses such technology “very effectively”. Singapore and Slovenia have speech-to-text technology available, she added.

Ms Denning said: “That type of thing would be of great assistance to court users and could save the system money through obviating the need to have

interpreters available for every small matter, for the procedural matters.

“For trials, we will still have our interpreters available, and indeed interpreters for the legal teams.”

Inspection of Border Force short-term holding facilities finds continuing legal and safeguarding failings

https://www.ein.org.uk/news/inspection-border-force-short-term-holding-facilities-finds-continuing-legal-and-safeguarding

17 July 2026

Inspection of Border Force short-term holding facilities finds continuing legal and safeguarding failings

[…] In one incident at Felixstowe highlighted in the report, a woman and her 18-month-old child were detained for over 22 hours in an inadequate facility and staff used Google Translate to communicate with her instead of professional telephone interpretation. "This included to serve documentation, conduct interviews, refuse entry and attempt removal, giving little assurance that the woman understood the process or her legal rights," HMI Prisons said. [...]

Read more here: https://cdn.websitebuilder.service.justice.gov.uk/uploads/sites/19/2026/07/Border-Force-STHFs-web-2026-1.pdf

PQ: 16 July 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2026-07-16a.1094.1

Business of the House

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 11:16 am on 16 July 2026.

Ayoub Khan Independent, Birmingham Perry Barr

Thanks to the outsourcing of interpreter and translation services to private providers, qualified interpreters and translators are being exploited through lower pay and are often substituted by those providing substandard services. We have already seen the West Midlands police rely on Cintra for such services—to the detriment of the force, interpreters and my constituents—and NHS Birmingham and Solihull is now on the verge of doing the same through Word360. Will the Leader of the House consider setting some time aside to discuss these predatory practices?

Alan Campbell Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons, Chair, Modernisation Committee, Chair, Modernisation Committee

These are concerning matters, and the hon. Gentleman is right to raise them. I suggest that he seek either a Westminster Hall debate or an Adjournment Debate when we return, so that he can go into further detail on an issue that I am sure is causing distress to some of his constituents.

New statutory guidance from the Lady Chief Justice on Live Links in Criminal Courts

https://www.judiciary.uk/new-statutory-guidance-from-the-lady-chief-justice-on-live-links-in-criminal-courts/

6 July 2026

The Lady Chief Justice has issued new guidance on use of live video links in criminal courts that will be implemented by 1 October 2026.

[…] "Where a defendant requires an interpreter, in-person attendance will ordinarily be preferable (particularly if more than one defendant requires an interpreter and there are different languages), unless it is not possible to secure an in-person interpreter within the time required, or (for hearings other than a trial) the hearing can proceed more expeditiously by the defendant and the interpreter both attending by live link (allowing the interpreter to interpret for the defendant without being heard by the court)." [...]

Read more here: https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/LCJ-Guidance-on-Live-Links-in-Criminal-Courts.pdf

New report examines how linguistic and cultural errors undermine justice in immigration tribunals

https://www.ein.org.uk/news/new-report-examines-how-linguistic-and-cultural-errors-undermine-justice-immigration-tribunals

2 July 2026

New report examines how linguistic and cultural errors undermine justice in immigration tribunals

A new report by the Public Law Project (PLP) details how cultural, linguistic and procedural barriers continue to undermine access to justice in the UK's immigration and asylum tribunals.

You can download the 33-page report here.

PLP explained: "[The] report examines how the accessibility and accuracy of interpretation and translation, the quality of evidence on country context and the ability to understand it, and procedural constraints affect access to justice in immigration and asylum tribunals. The report's central argument is that cultural and linguistic understanding lies at the heart of asylum and immigration tribunals, thereby making cultural competence a procedural fairness matter."

Read more here: https://www.ein.org.uk/news/new-report-examines-how-linguistic-and-cultural-errors-undermine-justice-immigration-tribunals

https://publiclawproject.org.uk/content/uploads/2026/06/Cultural-Linguistic-and-Procedural-Barriers.pdf

PQ: 2 July 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-06-23.12240.h

Asylum: Appeals

Ministry of Justice written question – answered at on 2 July 2026.

 

Lee Anderson Reform UK, Ashfield

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the total cost to the public purse of (a) translation and (b) interpretation for foreign languages with regards to asylum claim appeals.

 

Sarah Sackman The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

The Ministry of Justice holds some, but not all, of the information requested. The information available for the most recent full financial year is set out below.

Interpretation spend in the Immigration and Asylum Chamber (asylum claim appeals) for FY25/26 was as follows:

FY	Interpretation spend
FY25/26	£5,811,761

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-06-23.12239.h

Asylum: Translation Services

Home Office written question – answered at on 2 July 2026.

 

Lee Anderson Reform UK, Ashfield

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her department holds on the total cost to the public purse of (a) translation and (b) interpretation for foreign languages with regards to the asylum process.

Alex Norris The Minister of State, Home Department

The information requested is not centrally held and could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

 

"a Tamil translator was unable to be secured"

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/tipton-shops-fate-over-missing-34213185

1 July 2026

Tipton shop's fate over 'missing lottery reward' delayed over translator

[…] Sandwell Council’s licensing committee met to review the shop’s licence at a hearing on June 30 but was forced to adjourn the meeting after a Tamil translator was unable to be secured for shop licence holder Vincent Shaanmugarajah Thamilnesan.

Duncan Craig, the solicitor representing Mr Thamilnesan, said that while the shop owner spoke and understood English, the Tamil translator was required to ensure he carried out his job properly.

Reform councillor Karl Leech questioned the cost of hiring a translator and whether the hearing could go ahead without one but after listening to legal advice it was agreed to adjourn the meeting. The hearing is set to reconvene on July 10.

West Midlands Police said Mr Thamilnesan had been questioned under caution with the help of a translator. [...]

PQ: 26 June 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-06-18.11236.h

Department for Education: Translation Services

Department for Education written question – answered at on 26 June 2026.

Andrew Snowden Opposition Assistant Whip (Commons)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on translation services in each of the last five financial years.

Olivia Bailey Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The amounts that the department spent on translation services in the years between 1 April 2022 and 18 June 2026 are as follows:

Financial Year	Spend on Translation Services
2022/23	£7,933.47
2023/24	£2,023.20
2024/25	£1,159.02
2025/26	£21,732.82
2026/27 (to 18 June 2026)	£3,766.93
Total Spend	£36,615.44

The much higher spend in year 2025/26 was driven principally by three specific items of translation spend:

(i) Safeguarding guidance aimed at parents relating to children in out-of-school settings.

(ii) Consultation documents affecting disabled students into British Sign Language.

(iii) UK hosted summit on artificial intelligence safety in education, requiring translation services for overseas delegates.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2026

Published 25 June 2026

Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2026

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2026

"a Kurdish interpreter had not been booked for the trial"

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/suspected-burglar-targeted-luciana-berger-37316634

18 June 2026

Suspected burglar accused of targeting Labour peer's home and stealing her wellies

[…] Lokman, who faces an additional allegation of attempting to burgle a home in Enfield, north London, in March, was due to stand trial on Thursday, having previously denied all the charges.

But his case had to be adjourned until July 6 when it was discovered that a Kurdish interpreter had not been booked for the trial, and efforts by court staff to scour London for an available interpreter to come to court at the last minute failed.

District Judge Annabel Pilling conveyed the news of the adjournment to Lokman by typing out an apology and explanation on her tablet, running the message through Google Translate, and showing him the screen. [...]