AVIDICUS: Assessing videoconference interpreting in the Criminal Justice System
Start date
2008End date
2011Project website
ViewOverview
Videoconference technology is now widely used in criminal proceedings to speed up cross-border communication, reduce costs and increase security. The emerging settings – e.g. video links between courtrooms and witnesses abroad, between police stations and prisons – also involve bilingual communication and therefore require interpreters to be integrated into the videoconference setting. Moreover, videoconference technology offers a potential solution for shortages of qualified legal interpreters, especially for minority languages. Remote interpreting via video link using interpreters at distant locations, possibly abroad, is gaining momentum in criminal proceedings.
While these developments had begun to change the practice of legal interpreting, very little was known about the viability and quality of videoconference-based interpreting. There was a high risk of potential miscarriages of justice through the combined effects of technical mediation (videoconferencing) and linguistic mediation (interpreting). Relevant training for legal practitioners and interpreters regarding videoconference-based interpreting was non-existent. Addressing these issues, the AVIDICUS project conducted the first ever surveys among legal interpreters and judicial institutions in Europe to elicit interpreter experience with videoconference-based interpreting and institutional plans to use it. This enabled us to identify the most pressing problems and the most likely future occurrences of videoconference-based interpreting.
We then conducted a comparative study to compare the interpreting quality (e.g. accuracy) achieved with traditional methods of interpreting and in video links for the situations identified (e.g. police interviews in the UK). The quantitative analysis of the data shows a higher number of interpreting problems and a faster decline of interpreting performance over time in video links, suggesting greater difficulties for interpreters and a faster onset of fatigue. Based on these findings, the project developed guidelines of good practice for video interpreting in criminal proceedings, and designed and piloted training modules for interpreters and legal practitioners. This researched formed the basis for one of our REF2014 impact case.
The AVIDICUS guidelines were recognised as European-wide guidelines for videoconference-based interpreting in legal proceedings and integrated in the European e-Justice portal.
Partners
- University of Surrey (lead partner)
- Lessius Hogeschool Antwerp (BE)
- Local Police Antwerp (BE)
- Ministry of Justice (NL)
- Legal Aid Board (NL)
- TEPIS Polish Society of Sworn and Specialised Translators (PL)
- Ann Corsellis OBE.
Professor Sabine Braun
Professor of Translation Studies; Director, Centre for Translation Studies; Co-Director, Surrey Institute for People-Centred AI
Biography
I am a Professor of Translation Studies, Director of the Centre for Translation Studies, and a Co-Director of the Surrey Institute for People-Centred Artificial Intelligence at the University of Surrey in the UK. From 2017 to 2021 I also served as Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Surrey.
My research explores the integration and interaction of human and machine in translation and interpreting, for example to improve access to critical information, media content and vital public services such as healthcare and justice for linguistic-minority populations and other groups/people in need of communication support. My overarching interest lies in the notions of fairness, trust, transparency, and quality in relation to technology use in these contexts.
For over 10 years, I have led a programme of research that has involved cross-disciplinary collaboration with academic and non-academic partners to improve access to justice for linguistically diverse populations. Under this programme, I have investigated the use of video links in legal proceedings involving linguistic-minority participants and interpreters from a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives. I have led several multi-national research projects in this field (AVIDICUS 1-3, 2008-16) while contributing my expertise in video interpreting to other projects in the justice sector (e.g. QUALITAS, 2012-14, Understanding Justice, 2013-16, VEJ Evaluation, 2018-20). I have advised the European Council Working Party on e-Law (e-Justice) and other justice-sector institutions in the UK and internationally on video interpreting in legal proceedings and have developed guidelines which have been reflected in European Council Recommendation 2015/C 250/01 on ‘Promoting the use of and sharing of best practices on cross-border videoconferencing’.
In other projects I have explored the use of videoconferencing and virtual reality to train users of interpreting services in how to communicate effectively through an interpreter IVY, 2011-3; EVIVA, 2014-15, SHIFT, 2015-18).
A further example of my work on accessibility is my research on audio description (video description) for visually impaired people. In the H2020 project MeMAD (2018-21) I have recently investigated the feasibility of (semi-)automating AD to improve access to media content that is not normally covered by human AD (e.g. social media content).
In 2019, the Research Centre I lead was awarded an ‘Expanding Excellence in England (E3)' grant (2019-24) by Research England to expand our research on human-machine integration in translation and interpreting. As part of this, I am currently leading and involved in a number of pilot studies aimed at better human-machine integration in different modalities of translation and interpreting.
The insights from my research have informed my teaching in interpreting and audiovisual translation on CTS’s MA programmes and the professional training courses that I have delivered (e.g. for the Metropolitan Police Service in London).
From 2018-2021 I was a member of the DIN Working Group on Interpreting Services and Technologies and co-authored the first standard on remote consecutive interpreting worldwide (DIN 8578). I am a member of the BSI Sub-committee Terminology. From 2018-2022, I was the series editor of the IATIS Yearbook (Routledge) and am currently associate series editor for interpreting of Elements in Translation and Interpreting (CUP) and a member of the Advisory Board of Interpreting (Benjamins). I was appointed to the sub-panel for Modern Languages and Linguistics for the Research Excellence Framework REF 2021.
Professor Margaret Rogers
Professor Emerita
Biography
- Series editor for Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting https://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14574
- Founder member of the Association for Terminology and Lexicography
- Founder and former co-ordinator (until 2015) of the Terminology Network at the Institute of Translation and Interpreting
- Member of the Advisory Boards for LSP and Professional Communication, Terminology and Fachsprache
- Elected member of IITF Board (International Institute for Terminology Research) until 2016
Funder
Funded by the European Commission Criminal Justice Programme, Project JLS/2008/JPEN/03, 2008-11.