A court translator is a person who works as a translator for a court of law. Court translators are frequently employed in major cities with a large immigrant population, which can bring people in need of translation services into contact with the courts. In many countries, translators are required law to be available to those who require them. Failure to provide a translator would deprive someone of their right to a fair trial because they would be unable to comprehend the proceedings in court.
Court translators must possess a variety of skills. They must be fluent in the court’s language as well as at least one other foreign language; for example, a court translator in San Francisco may be fluent in Korean and Mandarin, allowing him or her to assist people who speak those languages. A court translator must also be familiar with legal jargon. The terms used in court are extremely specialized, and the translator must be familiar with them.
When a person who requires a translator contacts the court, the court assigns a translator from a pool of people who provide such services. Some countries demand that translators be certified professional organizations, demonstrating that they are fluent in both foreign languages and legal concepts. The court translator not only translates court proceedings, but also communications from foreign language speakers.
If someone is called as a witness in a case, for example, the court translator will translate the judge’s questions and orders as well as the testimony given to the court. The court reporter would note that the witness was speaking through a translator and enter the translation into the record. If a bilingual lawyer is not available, a translator is provided to assist a person accused of a crime in navigating the court and communicating with his or her lawyer.
A court translator can provide sign language services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing in addition to translation to and from spoken languages. The translator in this case converts spoken language into sign and sign into spoken language.
The only thing that court translators do is translate. They do not provide legal or interpreting services. If a miscarriage of justice occurs as a result of a translator’s error, the translator will be held liable. It is critical to look at the person who is speaking, not the translator, when interacting with someone who requires a translator.