Inefficiencies of court administration despite participants' goodwill

Ludmila Stern, Uldis Ozolins, Sandra Hale

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Although Australia has been at the forefront of community and court interpreting, inconsistencies and some clear inefficiencies in the way interpreters are accommodated in court processes can still be observed. Despite a desire for further improvement of interpreting practices and steps continuously undertaken by the court system, the management of court interpreter services falls short in comparison to international practices. These aspects can negatively affect the work of interpreters and in some cases affect the overall conduct of cases. This article assesses the extent to which current inconsistent practices affect the interpreters' professional performance in contributing to a communicatively effective and efficient court system. Some of the inconsistencies identified include interpreter employment practices, interpreter facilities in courts, interpreters' physical working conditions, practices and court protocols (or lack of protocols), recognising the professional needs of interpreters, and intra-court communication with interpreters. The article shows that some courts seem unaware of the damaging impact current inconsistent practices have on interpreters as professionals, and the quality of interpreting they provide. Despite limited funding and an equally limited pool of competent interpreters, solutions can be found within the existing system.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)76-95
Number of pages20
JournalJournal of Judicial Administration
Volume25
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • court administration
  • translators

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