More relatives act as interpreters in courts
A sentencing hearing involving 2 Nepalese defendants for perverting the course of justice took place at Winchester Crown Court. The hearing had originally been listed for 2nd March, but adjourned after no interpreter turned up on that day. On 2nd March it was re-fixed for April 3rd to enable ALS to provide an interpreter. They failed to do so.
Apparently Applied Language Solutions promised the Court that they would be able to provide an interpreter next week. Given their utter failure to provide one on two consecutive occasions nobody believed them, so eventually, rather than endure yet another adjournment the defendants were sentenced with a relative doing his best to interpret for them. He had never done so before, he had no experience of courts or the justice system. After the judge imposed suspended sentences, the probation officer rather plaintively asked if he could borrow "the court interpreter" (i.e. the relative) to interpret for the probation service.