Analysis and Comment
There might be a good argument for a public regulatory agency in this area, but the NRPSI is not it.
WHILE the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) continues to review whether the qualifications for court interpreters are good enough, cases are still being delayed by the lack of any interpreter at all.
WITH the new Police-approved interpreters and translators (PAIT) list being extended to include sign language interpreters this month, questions are being asked about why the courts service can't take similar steps to ensure the quality of interpreting in court proceedings.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether interpreters which hold (a) Level 1 foundation in public service interpreting, a two-to-four-week course, (b) Level 2 public service interpreting qualifications, (c) Level 3 and Level 4 community service interpreting qualifications, A-level standard, (d) a bachelor’s degree in philology but no public service interpreting qualifications and (e) a bachelor’s degree in linguistics but no public service interpreting qualifications are accepted on his Department's list of interpreters.
