… and other less busy ones in Scotland.
Author: Kuba Hiterski Photo: Jane McPhelim
Continued from part 1 (You can also find the whole article on our blog here.)
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2) Interpreting between two languages is heard enough. Working with three and more languages makes you a superhuman.
Do you speak Russian? I wish I did. Primarily because I find this language to be very interesting. Although I do speak Italian and have just started learning Spanish, it will take many moons before I am fluent enough to interpret to or from either of them (bear in mind in order to work in court you must be able to interpret both consecutively and simultaneously). This is extremely important as very often an interpreter is asked in court which language she or he works in. This is not unusual as assumption is the mother of all guddles. In Scottish courts, however, being a Polish interpreter certainly means being in demand as Polish is now the second most common language in Scotland (likewise in the rest of the UK). On the other hand, this also means having to do with more competition as there are many more Polish interpreters than for any other language. More opportunities and more pressure lead to more responsibility and I am pleased to say that I have spent a considerable amount of time over the past few years both improving my own skills as well as sharing professional knowledge and skills with other less experienced interpreters and those who are only starting or thinking of starting out. I still naturally envy those who can juggle several languages.
3) ‘…that you will act ‘as an interpreter’ in these proceedings?’ Interpreters vary more than legal professionals.
Every time I appear in court I am asked to take the oath (or in my case, to affirm). The wording of such may vary and sometimes the sheriff will ask me to act ‘as an interpreter’. Even though working in the language industry is my bread and butter and court interpreting is certainly one of my professional roles in which I happen to have a considerable amount of experience in, the courts will still see me, and understandably so, as a casual worker. This is nothing to get personal about, it is simply how it is in the UK where we interpreters vary a great deal with respect to our professional qualifications, skills and years of experience. Some of us are in court every day, some a couple of times a year. Some have been doing this for 25 years or more, some have just started. Unlike in some other countries, court interpreting and the translation sector as a whole are to a large extent unregulated which allows for more flexibility in meeting most pressing demands of the courts. Again, pragmatism and trust uber alles. On the other hand, this does sometimes lead to rather ironic or even tragic results and as such it is not, in my opinion, sustainable in the long-term. However, this a topic which even a series of articles would not fully explore so I will just leave it there. Suffice to say that you will not find so much of variation among defence solicitors and other legal professionals.
TBC…