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Language services in UK courts, explained
Who arranges the interpreter, what the October 2026 reforms change, and what the rules require from translated documents used as evidence.
Every fact below links to its official source. Last checked 22 July 2026.
The short answer
For the hearing itself, the court books the interpreter through national Ministry of Justice contracts, and reformed contracts with stronger quality rules start on 5 October 2026. Everything outside the hearing, from solicitor meetings to translated evidence, is yours to arrange, and that is where the rules catch people out.
How court interpreting is arranged
Courts and tribunals in England and Wales book spoken-language interpreters, British Sign Language support and other language professionals through national contracts managed by the Ministry of Justice, with an independent provider auditing quality. Parties do not pick the supplier for a hearing; the court arranges it.
The scale is easy to underestimate: peers were told of around 17,000 bookings a month across more than 150 languages. A House of Lords committee examined the service in 2025 and its report, the government's response and the resulting reforms are all linked in the sources below.
The scale of demand, latest official quarter
January to March 2026, published 25 June 2026 within the Ministry of Justice's quarterly criminal court statistics.
52,823
Completed interpreter and translation requests in one quarter
96%
Of bookings fulfilled, which still leaves thousands needing a fallback
150+
Languages needed by the courts, as reported to the House of Lords
What changes on 5 October 2026
Reformed Ministry of Justice language services contracts take effect, shaped by the Lords inquiry. The published changes:
- A new qualifications framework. Court work is matched to interpreter capability, and the trainee scheme for the Level 6 legal interpreting diploma expands with the interpreter's own cost contribution cut to 25%.
- A safety net for short-notice bookings. A second supplier tier is introduced specifically to catch bookings the main service cannot fill.
- Stronger independent quality assurance. More risk-based sampling of interpreter assessments, and independent oversight of how complaints are handled.
- Interpreter welfare. Support on distressing cases, an opt-out for bookings of a certain nature, and strengthened safeguarding guidance.
- Pay linked to inflation. Annual CPI-linked increases for court interpreters.
The part the court does not arrange: your documents
The court books the hearing interpreter. It does not translate your evidence. In England and Wales, Practice Direction 32 requires a foreign-language document to be filed with a translation, and the translator certifies it. Courts can exclude evidence that does not meet the requirements.
We publish the exact requirements, quoted from the official sources, on our dedicated page: foreign documents as court evidence. For the wider picture, from the Home Office to UK ENIC, see the full "Will it be accepted?" guide.
When you need your own language support
The court contract covers the hearing. It does not cover conferences with your solicitor, taking witness statements, understanding disclosure, mediation, or preparing your case. For those, parties and law firms arrange their own interpreters and translators.
That is the work we do daily from Cardiff: certified translations of evidence and court documents in 260+ languages with the certification wording courts expect, and professional interpreting for legal meetings.
Sources for this page
Official sources only. We re-check them regularly and refresh the figures with each quarterly statistics release.
| What it confirms | Official source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| The October 2026 reforms | Ministerial letters to the Lords Public Services Committee | 22 Jul 2026 |
| Contract start date, 5 October 2026 | Find a Tender, notice 031661-2024 | 22 Jul 2026 |
| Quarterly statistics, Jan to Mar 2026 | MoJ, Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly | 19 Aug 2026 |
| The Lords inquiry and its findings | Lords Public Services Committee, "Lost in translation?" | 22 Jul 2026 |
| Bookings volume and languages | Committee chair, as published in the Law Society Gazette | 19 Aug 2026 |
This page is general information based on the official published documents linked above, as they stood on the date shown. It is not legal advice. Lingo Service is an independent language services company and is not affiliated with the Ministry of Justice or HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Court arrangements and requirements change, so confirm the current position with the court or the official source before relying on it.
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Common questions
Who arranges the interpreter for a court hearing?
For hearings, courts and tribunals in England and Wales book spoken-language interpreters, British Sign Language interpreters and other language professionals through national Ministry of Justice contracts. The service handled 52,823 completed requests in the first quarter of 2026 alone. You do not choose the supplier; the court books it. For everything outside the hearing itself, such as solicitor conferences, witness preparation or translated documents, parties arrange their own language support.
What changes in October 2026?
New Ministry of Justice language services contracts take effect on 5 October 2026, following a House of Lords inquiry into court interpreting. The published reforms include a new qualifications framework matching interpreter capability to court work, an expanded trainee scheme for the legal interpreting diploma, a second supplier tier to catch short-notice bookings, strengthened independent quality assurance including oversight of complaint handling, interpreter welfare protections, and annual inflation-linked pay increases for interpreters.
Do translated documents for court need a certified translation?
In England and Wales, Practice Direction 32 requires that a foreign-language document is filed with a translation, and the translator certifies the translation. Our dedicated page on foreign documents as court evidence quotes the exact requirements with their official sources.
