STORY
New Ministry of Justice contracts covering spoken language interpreting, British Sign Language and specialist visual and tactile communication services have come into force across courts and tribunals, with the Government saying that the arrangements will provide more consistent and reliable support for people who need help understanding or participating in proceedings.
Existing supplier thebigword will remain the primary provider of spoken language services, while Translate UK has been appointed as an additional secondary supplier, Clarion UK will continue providing visual and tactile communication services and The Language Shop will undertake independent quality assurance.
The contracts introduce mandatory induction into the justice system for interpreters, stronger quality assessments and improvements to face to face and video interpreting, while interpreters will also be able to decline particular categories of case when the material involved is especially sensitive or distressing.