Research Influences European Policy
Wednesday 6 March 2013
Legal interpreters working via videoconference in Europe now have a set of best-practice guidelines to follow thanks to the efforts of Surrey researchers.
With the need for interpreters in legal proceedings on the rise and the use of video links also increasing, a team from the University’s Centre for Translation Studies examined the quality provided by remote interpreting services.
They found that basic problems could be overcome through improved configurations and training, resulting in the European Council adopting the recommendations as a set of continent-wide guidelines. The Metropolitan Police also used Surrey to bring its interpreters up to speed.
Researcher Dr Sabine Braun explained that the findings are especially relevant as the European Union has recently reinforce the right to use an interpreter in criminal proceedings.
She said: “The possibility of using videoconferences to gain access to an interpreter has become so important that it is now referred to in European legislation. Three to four years ago it was by no means clear whether videomediated interpreting would be viable from the point of view of interpreting quality.”
The research, which was funded by the European Commission Directorate-General Justice, therefore investigated interpreting quality in videoconference settings through a series of comparative studies. Mainly focusing on police interviews and comparing video-mediated and traditional interpreting, the team also experimented with different technical configurations such as altered room layouts and different screen positions to isolate the factors that produced the best – and worst – effects.
Analysis of the data showed a higher number of interpreting problems and a faster decline of interpreting performance over time in video links, suggesting interpreters using technology suffered greater difficulties and a faster onset of fatigue. Dr Braun added: “Based on these findings, we developed guidelines of good practice for video interpreting in criminal proceedings and designed and piloted training modules for interpreters and legal practitioners.“The major conclusion is that a sufficient quality of interpreting performance must be regarded as essential. The viability of video interpreting must therefore override all considerations of cost savings.”
The Metropolitan Police’s use of Surrey’s expertise saw the University deliver 23 training sessions for a total of 341 interpreters – 89 per cent of the certified workforce.
Featured in the Annual Review 2012
