"an interpreter was not available for the hearing"

https://www.lincsonline.co.uk/spalding/news/new-court-date-for-flasher-who-exposed-himself-on-three-sepa-9478044/

11 August 2026

New court date for Lincoln flasher who exposed himself three times in Spalding

[…] However, his case at Lincoln Magistrates Court was adjourned until September as an interpreter was not available for the hearing.

 

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. [...]

PQ: 18 June 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2026-06-18a.991.0#g1006.3

Business of the House

– in the House of Commons at 11:02 am on 18 June 2026.

Mary Glindon Labour, Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend

My constituent Abdul faced three on-the-day cancellations of his asylum interview because of challenges securing an interpreter. He then had a fourth interview, in his second language, in which he is not proficient. He is now appealing his decision on the basis that he was unable to answer questions to the best of his ability. With his appeal date next month, he faces his fifth trip to London without an interpreter being present. Will the Leader of the House ask the relevant Minister to make a statement on what steps the Government are taking to tackle interpreter-related interview cancellations for people like Abdul?

PQ: 16 June 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-05-13.197.h

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Publicity

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government written question – answered at on 16 June 2026.

James Cleverly Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the answer of 18 March 2026, to Question 116483, on MHCLG: Publicity, if he will list each supplier which has undertaken translation activities for the department since July 2024; and the amount of expenditure on each supplier.

Samantha Dixon Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Since July 2024 the Department has spent £172,362.29 on translation activities to the following suppliers:

Aa Global Language Services Limited	£105,549.12
Allied Publicity Services (Manchester)	£6,973.01
D A Languages LTD	£23,240.04
FCDO Services	£8,583.19
Mencap	£180.00
Prysg CYF	£13,358.30
Salina Interpreting & Translating Services	£6,932.00
Trosol	£7,546.63
Total	£172,362.29

These translation services largely support the department’s engagement with bereaved families, survivors and local residents affected by the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy. The services also support a range of departmental activity, including resettlement schemes (such as those for people fleeing the war in Ukraine) and Welsh language translation.

Suspects fail to attend court… but three interpreters do (at public expense)

https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/26196027.romanian-gang-accused-make-up-theft-boots-norwich/

15^th June 2026

Romanian gang accused of make-up theft from Boots in Norwich

The shocking waste of public money on failed court hearings has been exposed after three interpreters attended a hearing where four members of an alleged Romanian shoplifting gang failed to turn up. [...]

Read more here:  https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/26196027.romanian-gang-accused-make-up-theft-boots-norwich/

PQ: 15 June 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-06-10.8739.h

UK Border Force: Interviews

Home Office written question – answered at on 15 June 2026.

Rupert Lowe Restore Britain, Great Yarmouth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in what proportion of asylum and immigration interviews conducted by Border Force via (a) video call and (b) telephone-only are translators or interpreters used.

Rupert Lowe Restore Britain, Great Yarmouth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what processes are in place to (a) monitor, (b) audit, and (c) quality assure the work of translators and interpreters used in asylum and immigration interviews conducted by Border Force.

Rupert Lowe Restore Britain, Great Yarmouth

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints or concerns have been raised regarding the accuracy of translation or interpretation services used in asylum and immigration interviews conducted by Border Force in each of the last five years.

Mike Tapp The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department

The Home Office uses professional interpretation and translation services to support asylum, immigration and wider operational processes. These services are delivered through centrally managed arrangements, including the Interpreter and Language Services Unit (ILSU), as well as through contracted suppliers.

Quality assurance and contract governance arrangements are in place to uphold standards, monitor performance and support continuous improvement. This includes defined internal standards and structured quality frameworks to identify errors and ensure service quality. Where concerns are raised, they are considered carefully and, where appropriate, investigated on a case-by-case basis. The Home Office is committed to ensuring that interpretation services meet appropriate quality standards across all delivery routes.

Data on the proportion of asylum and immigration interviews conducted by Border Force via (a) video call and (b) telephone-only where interpreters or translators are used is not held in published statistics. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

PQ: 9 June 2025

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2025-06-04.57487.h

Courts: Translation Services

Ministry of Justice written question – answered at on 9 June 2025.

Shockat Adam Independent, Leicester South

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the increase in court translator costs in each region in England and Wales in the last five year.

Shockat Adam Independent, Leicester South

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the cost of off-contract bookings for interpreter bookings in the last five years.

Shockat Adam Independent, Leicester South

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what comparative estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) off-contract bookings and (b) contract-based interpreter services.

Sarah Sackman The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice

We do not hold spend data for each region. Total annual spend across all 4 language services contracts, with % increases have been calculated and set out below:

Year	Total	Year on Year % increase	Total Growth (since 2020)	Sitting Days (Financial Year)
2020	£20,217,548.09	-	-	2020/21 – 199,200
2021	£25,062,618.71	24%	24%	2021/22 – 559,888
2022	£26,883,747.04	7%	33%	2022/23 – Over 565,000
2023	£30,374,050.44	13%	50%	2023/24 – Over 580,000
2024	£31,625,158.35	4%	56%	2024/25 - TBC

Off-contract spend:

Year	Total
2020	£1,193,788
2021	£2,157,759
2022	£4,856,616
2023	£6,565,781
2024	£7,037,731

The use of off-contract is typically to cover requirements that arise at short notice and those that are more challenging to fulfil, such as the requirement for languages that are rare or scarce, and as such are more expensive to source. The use of off-contract interpreters allows hearings to go ahead, to continue the delivery of justice.

The next generation of contracts, currently being procured, includes the use of a secondary supplier of interpreters, specifically to source those short notice bookings, and to bring this spend on-contract, with benefits such as improved data and value for money.

Performance levels can be accessed via the Published statistics, which can be found at: Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK

Comparison (2020–2024)

Year	On-Contract Spend (£)	Off-Contract Spend (£)	Total Spend (£)	% On-Contract	% Off-Contract
2020	£20,217,548	£1,193,788	£21,411,336	94.4%	5.6%
2021	£25,062,619	£2,157,759	£27,220,378	92.1%	7.9%
2022	£26,883,747	£4,856,616	£31,740,363	84.7%	15.3%
2023	£30,374,050	£6,565,781	£36,939,831	82.2%	17.8%
2024	£31,625,158	£7,037,731	£38,662,889	81.8%	18.2%

PQ: 8 June 2026

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-06-01.HL420.h

Police: Telephone Services

Home Office written question – answered at on 8 June 2026.

Lord Alton of Liverpool Chair, Human Rights (Joint Committee), Chair, Human Rights (Joint Committee)

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that a public service interpreter working for 101 made political remarks about China in a call with Hong Qi, a Chinese pro-democracy activist; and what action, if any, they plan to take.

Lord Hanson of Flint The Minister of State, Home Department

Matters relating to the conduct of individual police officers, staff, or those working on behalf of the police are for the relevant police force to consider through established complaints procedures. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment on the detail of the case raised.

If an individual believes that a public service interpreter has acted inappropriately during a police interaction, they can make a complaint directly to the relevant police force or via the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Information on how to do so is available on the IOPC’s website at https://www.policeconduct.gov.uk/complaints/submit-a-complaint, including an online complaints form and guidance on the complaints process.

"no interpreter was present"

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/26166233.man-charged-bradford-hotel-arson-sentenced-next-month/

4 June 2026

Man charged with Bradford Hotel arson sentenced next month

[…] The 28-year-old previously pleaded guilty to committing arson with intent to endanger life at The Bradford Hotel on Hall Ings on October 31 last year.

However, the judge was unable to proceed as a pre-sentence report was needed and no interpreter was present.

Defence barrister Austin Newman applied for an adjournment, which was granted.

Mr Newman said Abdalla was an asylum claimant with very limited English whose claim had not yet been resolved, and that he was experiencing difficulties within the prison system.

He said: “I’m sure the court will want to know a great deal more about his background and what it is that brings him before the court.”

His Honour Judge Tahir Khan KC adjourned the case to July 27. [...]

"doctors failed to provide an interpreter"

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y7n63yjy8o

2 June 2026

Woman died after doctors missed bowel obstruction

A grandmother died after doctors missed repeated warning signs of a bowel obstruction and failed to provide an interpreter, leaving her unable to communicate intensifying pain, the health ombudsman has found.

Sevinc Ulkueri, 76, from Solihull, died after her bowel perforated and she developed sepsis, following delays in treatment at Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, in March 2021.

An investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) found her death was avoidable and that earlier diagnoses and intervention would have saved her life. [...]

The trust also failed to meet Turkish-speaking Ulkueri's communication needs because it didn't provide an interpreter, it said.

Chief executive Rebecca Hilsenrath KC added patients had a right to an interpreter and the NHS "must be accessible to everyone in need of care".

She said: "The failings in this case are some that we see far too often. Delayed reporting on scans, investigations that are not sufficiently thorough, and poor communication with patients and their families.

"Sevinc was unable to clearly express the severity and location of her pain because she was not given the support she needed and to which she was entitled."

Chinese dissident says he was berated by ‘pro-regime’ interpreter for UK police

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/30/chinese-dissident-says-he-was-berated-by-pro-regime-interpreter-for-uk-police

30 May 2026

Chinese dissident says he was berated by ‘pro-regime’ interpreter for UK police

A Chinese dissident who orchestrated an anti-government protest in China after fleeing to the UK has claimed that a “pro-regime” interpreter used by a British police force berated him when he sought help.

Hong Qi, who made headlines last year after using a mobile phone while in the UK to remotely project anti-regime slogans on to a building in his home city, Chongqing, contacted police after discovering that his bank accounts had been frozen.

The Chinese national rang 101, the UK non-emergency number, on 20 December and asked to speak to the closest police force via an interpreter out of concern he would have to sleep rough with his wife and two teenage daughters due to lack of funds.

Instead of receiving advice from Devon and Cornwall police, Qi, 43, claims the interpreter assigned to the call launched a political tirade, asking him why he did not “love China” and taunting him for his lack of money.

Qi, who along with his family had been staying in Exeter, explained, in a call that began at 2.54pm and lasted 20 minutes, that his bank accounts had been frozen by the Chinese authorities, leaving him unable to pay for accommodation for his wife and children.

According to Qi, the interpreter – who spoke with a mainland Chinese accent – interrupted the conversation to challenge him.

“China is so good, why did you come out?” the interpreter allegedly asked. “You came out to claim political asylum? You brought your children out here to suffer.”

When Qi attempted to convey the desperation of his situation, he claims the interpreter refused to pass the message to the police representative on the call.

“I will not translate your emotions,” the interpreter said, according to Qi. “On what grounds should the British help you? If you have money, it is convenient everywhere.”

On 21 January, 22 days after he made a complaint, Devon and Cornwall police informed Qi, who has recently been granted asylum in the UK, that responsibility for the interpreter lay with a contractor that is paid £130,000 a year to provide translation services.

The contractor did not respond to a request for comment. The force has failed to provide a copy of the recording to Qi despite requests. The Information Commissioner’s Office has noted the force’s breach and issued a reprimand.

Qi’s allegation will add to fears of the widespread infiltration of the Chinese interpreting community by the United Front Work Department, an organ of the communist regime in China that is said to seek to suppress political dissent and shape opinion abroad.

A Home Office-sponsored report that was declassified in February pinpointed the dearth of Chinese language skills within the police as a risk given the attempts at infiltration of the interpreting community by the Chinese Communist party and organised crime.

The report’s author, David Wilson, a regional coordinator for the organised immigration crime domestic taskforce at West Midlands police and a former detective inspector, said there was “a lot of compromise” of Mandarin interpreters in the UK.

He said: “The United Workers Department will co-opt everybody. We have had it that people will absolutely not talk in front of interpreters. So we have had compromise. This is not unusual. The compromise will come both from the Chinese state and organised crime groups.”

Wilson said a solution was to increase the number of Mandarin speakers within British policing. His report noted that officers were at times having to rely on Google Translate to do their work.

During the recent trial of two men convicted of spying for China – including a UK Border Force officer – the court heard that eight suspects arrested in May 2024 as part of the alleged see spy ring had to be released after a shortage of interpreters meant the contents of their phones and laptops could not be translated before the 14-day statutory detention limit was reached. The suspects later left the UK.

Qi said he had been left at his lowest ebb after the conversation with the police interpreter. “To me, she was clearly pro-regime,” he said. “The police need to deal with this.”Qi’s protest last August in Chongqing, a city of 30 million people, was staged on the eve of a major military parade and involved the projection on to a building of slogans such as “Only without the Communist party can there be a new China”.

The police soon after found the source of the projection in a hotel room. Qi later released video footage of five police officers entering the hotel room, rushing to the window and finding the projector hidden behind a half-closed curtain.

Qi, who was operating the projector and surveillance camera from London where he had arrived four days earlier, had left a handwritten letter on the coffee table addressed to the officers. “Even if you are a beneficiary of the system today, one day you will inevitably become a victim on this land,” it read.

One of Qi’s posts was watched by 18 million people in four days.

Sam Dunning, director of the research body UK-China Transparency said: “After WW2, Britain trained thousands in Russian language skills. Faced by what successive governments all agree are major challenges and threats from China, nothing remotely on this scale is being done today.”

A Devon and Cornwall police spokesperson said: “The Devon and Cornwall police professional standards department carefully reviewed the complaint, but as the interpreter was employed by a third party and not the force, no further action was taken.”