Analysis and Comment
The problems caused by police using unqualified interpreters were identified yet again as it was revealed that language agency ITL had lost its contract with police in the North-East following collapse of a court case.
From helping deliver babies, to explaining EastEnders to a group of bemused foreign journalists, football interpreters can lead an interesting life.
The latest figures for providing interpreters and translators in court cases show that current contractor thebigword is doing a far better job ensuring someone turns up than its predecessor Crapita ever did. But questions remain over whether all those supplied are up to the job.
Public service interpreters working in the NHS and justice sectors are alarmed by the recent prediction of the lord chief justice that they would soon be out of a job, replaced by machine translation.
