Judge blasts interpreters firm for court no-shows (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
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Judge blasts interpreters firm for court no-shows
8:20am Wednesday 11th April 2012 in Bradford By Telegraph & Argus
The ongoing problem of interpreters not turning up in Court led to a barrister remarking it would be quicker for him to learn Czech than to wait for one to arrive.
A defendant up at Bradford Crown Court yesterday for attempted murder had his case adjourned for a second time because no-one came to translate for him.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, who last week slammed as “a disgrace” a new system’s failure to provide a translator for a Pakistani woman in a violence and sex abuse trial, again demanded answers from Applied Language Solutions, the company now responsible for providing interpreters for courts across the country.
Last week, the company said it was fulfiling the vast majority of its bookings – nearly 3,000 a week – and had 2,000 experienced and qualified linguists working for it.
