A new European Union draft directive, announced on April 8th 2010, aims to set common minimum standards on the right to interpretation and translation in criminal cases throughout the EU. Its objective is to improve the rights of suspects who do not understand or speak the language of the legal proceedings in the country they are charged with crime in.
Under the proposed rules, a British soccer fan arrested in Portugal would, for example, have the right to interpretation during police questioning and in order to communicate with lawyers. According to the new proposal, these rights must be assured in criminal proceedings "of every kind", including he pre-trial, sentencing, detention and any appeal phases, until the proceedings are finally concluded.
With the many different languages spoken in the EU, personal attendance of an interpreter is sometimes impossible. In these cases, technology such as video links, telephone or Internet access may be employed, although the committee working on the question feels this method should not be used for court proceedings.
Language Translation, Inc. in San Diego, California, provides translation and interpretation services in over forty languages, including 24 European languages. Legal translation and interpreting are among our specialties, and we can also provide telephonic interpretation services when needed.
Betty Carlson |
