Careers in Court Interpreting

It is common practice for court interpreters to be present during court hearings and trials, translating words spoken into and from English for the benefit of different parties present. This could include interpreting testimonies, questions from the defence team and prosecution, sentencings and interviews. It goes without saying that all interpreting has to be completely and utterly unbiased. In addition to what is being spoken, court interpreters may also translate written records such as interviews done by the police that are subsequently used inside courtrooms. The average salary for a court interpreter in the UK was around £20,000, although the recent court interpreting saga in England and Wales may have affected that for the worse.

Usually it is the case that a court interpreter is a native speaker in the minority language being used inside a courtroom. They will obviously be completely fluent in English and have qualifications supporting this, in addition to possibly a degree in sociology, criminal justice or political science. Languages that commonly need court interpreting for in the UK due to large ethnic and immigrant communities include Urdu, Punjab

and Polish. Many interpreters are actually from these communities, thus making them in a perfect position to work with them in a courtroom environment.

Putting the current conditions to one side, court interpreters will either be picked from a national register of court interpreters, or they are recruited for duty through an interpreting agency. No freelance court interpreter can have a career for themselves without being aligned with either one of these two things. Initially qualifying to be a court interpreter involves gaining certification, which can be awarded on taking a recognized court interpreting course or through recognised outside qualifications. Considerable experience interpreting elsewhere is often necessary before an interpreter can become fully certified.

What ultimately separates court interpreters from other types of interpreters is knowledge that goes beyond linguistics. Legal knowledge is absolutely essential in order to interpret professionally inside a courtroom. An interpreter must know about the legal system and court protocol relevant to both the UK and to those non-English speakers present, so that the interpreter can be on the same wavelength as them and help them adapt to a legal environment that they will not be used to.  Terminology is also a huge factor, as speaking able to understand and interpret legal jargon is almost like having to know a third language for a court interpreter. Once an interpreter has gained this knowhow, they are on track to move onto a fulfilling career as a court interpreter. Search more about court interpreting services.