Court Case Delayed by a Missing Interpreter: What It Means If You Need One

A trial paused for want of an interpreter

A UK burglary trial was recently delayed after proceedings could not go ahead because an interpreter was not available, according to a news report this month. Cases like this are a reminder that a court hearing does not run on the strength of the evidence alone. If a defendant, witness or complainant needs to give or understand evidence in a language other than English, the hearing depends on a suitably qualified interpreter being booked, available and present on the day. When that does not happen, the usual outcome is an adjournment: the hearing is pushed back, sometimes by weeks or months, while everyone involved, including victims and witnesses, waits for a new date.

Why this keeps happening

Interpreter availability is not evenly guaranteed across the justice system. In Wales, the Welsh Courts (Interpreters) Rules set out a formal framework for how interpreters operate in proceedings involving the Welsh language, a structure that has existed in various forms since 1943. No single equivalent set of rules covers every other language spoken by the people who pass through courts and tribunals in England and Wales. In practice, arrangements for languages such as Polish, Urdu, Farsi or Mandarin are made case by case, and a booking can fall through for reasons as ordinary as illness, a scheduling clash or a late change of hearing date.

The government publishes quarterly criminal court statistics and quarterly tribunal statistics, which track how cases move through the system, including delays and adjournments. Anyone who wants a current, official picture of how stretched courts and tribunals are should check those publications directly, since the figures are updated every few months and give a fuller picture than any single case.

What it means if you are due in court

If you, a family member or a client is a witness, defendant or party in a case and does not speak fluent English, it is worth confirming interpreter arrangements with the solicitor or the court well before the hearing date rather than assuming one will simply appear. Ask specifically which language and dialect has been booked. Kurdish, Farsi and Arabic, for example, each cover several distinct dialects, and a mismatch can cause exactly the kind of delay reported in this case.

Interpreting is only part of the picture. Many of the same cases also involve documents: witness statements, foreign identity documents, contracts, tenancy agreements or previous court paperwork that needs to be understood in English or produced as an accurate written translation for the court file. That written side does not depend on anyone being in the room on the day, and it can be arranged well in advance so it is not at the mercy of a last-minute cancellation.

Checking the current picture

If you want to see how criminal courts and tribunals are currently performing, the government's statistics collections are the primary source and are updated regularly. If you are unsure whether Welsh-language interpreter rules or general interpreter arrangements apply to your case, ask your solicitor or the court directly, since the rules differ depending on where and what kind of hearing you face.

Our team provides legal translation and works alongside solicitors and their clients who need documents translated accurately and on time for court, whatever the underlying case. If you are preparing for a hearing and need statements, evidence or correspondence translated, it is worth arranging this early rather than waiting until the date is confirmed.

Need legal documents translated for a case? See our [Legal Translation Services](https://lingoservice.com/services/legal-translation).

Sources

• MSN: [Luciana Berger burglary trial delayed over interpreter absence](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi9wFBVV95cUxQQ052Q2F1bUw0RUVpcGE3SFZQSVg5bl9ZVFJqdGdWQ1JsV2Jabm9JcEJ6RmFzVnNQR1UzanBNWjVZZmdPbW8zNmlhWWhRajZpT0hiTmZyaGRjQ19SRkZsRndnbTVER0NTZU4xVk5UbDNtTUlQWXRpbXVwaE02Mi1FMGZqaXRDYk8tR1VaYkZJSE9CNWlDeTY4blpUaTJQUVJUZVRyakpGWGNZVkxKUS1kOHFrcWpsWTYxbkRrZW04cFk3WDREM241ZnE2aG51TGtqcDdhWDVjRWxzSGQ2bWpjNVNic0ZLNGp3LXRHaEhXSmlGVFlZOWRB?oc=5)
• GOV.UK: [Criminal court statistics](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics)
• GOV.UK: [Tribunals statistics](https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics)
• Legislation.gov.uk: [UK legislation: interpreter](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/all?title=interpreter)