Court Interpreting

What Is Court Interpreting?

Court interpreters aid those who cannot speak the language of a court by interpreting what is being said to them, as well as relaying to the court the evidence they give as a witness, a victim or the accused. Without this, those standing in court would not be able to understand what is happening or reliably give evidence, which could seriously compromise the integrity of a trial.

Translation and interpretation services for courts can often be quite complex, so linguists must have previous knowledge of the terminology and language used in litigation, court proceedings, depositions and criminal investigations. This is on top of being perfectly fluent in the languages they are interpreting. Here at Global Voices, we only use linguists that have experience and skills in interpreting for courts and are verified by relevant enhanced disclosure checks.

There are two main methods used to interpret court evidence: simultaneous and consecutive interpretation. Simultaneous interpretation is where the court interpreter listens to the speaker and begins to interpret what they are saying as they’re still completing their sentences. Alternatively, consecutive interpretation begins after a person has finished speaking, so court interpreters using this method will typically take notes to ensure they don’t miss anything.

With the growing population of non-English speakers in the UK, the need for quality legal interpretation services is growing.

If you’re putting together a legal case and the accused, witness or victim cannot speak English, it’s absolutely imperative that you hire a court interpreter. Only then will they be able to give reliable evidence that credibly supports your case.

With a vast network of qualified linguists, Global Voices is able to provide interpretation for all up to 150 languages, as well as catering for rarer language combinations. All our court interpreters undergo enhanced disclosure checks prior to interpretation projects and have experience in legal terminology and court interpretation. We have the capacity to provide interpreters at any crown court or procurator fiscal throughout Scotland, England and Wales.