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Nearly four years after the outsourcing of courtroom interpreting to a single contractor, the service continues to fall short of its key performance target, according to the latest government figures.
In the case of Hak v St Christopher’s Fellowship the claimant, who had some understanding of English, requested the assistance of an interpreter in advance of the tribunal hearing. Unfortunately there were no interpreters available on the day of the hearing.
The one-day mass action threatened by the pool of more than 2,000 interpreters could have brought the processing of immigration claims to a standstill.
Cost pressures affecting public bodies are risking the quality of translation services, a survey has suggested – potentially creating further costs through medical misunderstandings, delays to court proceedings and other errors.
