Old Bailey Judge demands a proper interpreter
A few of weeks ago I was interpreting for CPS at the Old Bailey. It was a trial with a foreign defendant and professional witnesses of various nationalities. There was an interpreter for the defendant sitting with him in the dock. I observed her for as long as I myself was in the courtroom. She was not wearing any badge and because at that point the CPS interpreter was working in the same language, there was no need for her to interpret.
Towards the end of the day there was a discussion of that lady's availability for the rest of the trial. She could only do one more day. The Judge addressed one of the prosecutors and said to him: "It is your responsibility to find a proper replacement interpreter. Make sure the interpreter is booked directly, professional and not from THAT AGENCY!" You can imagine that I was quite happy to hear that from the Old Bailey judge.
