May 2, 2012 - Minority Rights Group International (MRG)
Privatization of court interpreting hinders access
to justice for non-English speakers in the UK
The
UK Ministry of Justice’s decision to adopt a privatized contract for court
interpreters has severe implications regarding access to justice for minorities
from non-English speaking backgrounds. Shahendra Suliman, MRG’s Conflict
Prevention Programme intern, reports.
A contract between the
Ministry of Justice and a translation company to provide interpreters for all
courts in England and Wales has angered interpreters and frustrated judges.
Whilst previously each
individual court hired freelance interpreters from a national register of
qualified interpreters, under the new scheme interpreters are provided by a
single company, Applied Language Solutions (ALS). The contract, which has promised
to cut the annual
translation bill by a third, came into effect on 1st February
and has already provoked countrywide protests and boycotts.
Not only does this new deal
undermine interpreters by cutting
their pay and removing travel expenses for the first hour, but it appears
to have had widespread implications for the justice system, particularly for
people who do not speak English as their first language.
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