A proposed law would require Swedish courts to provide an interpreter to any non-Swedish-speaking defendant who requests one. It is currently up to the courts to determine whether there is a need for an interpreter in a legal proceeding. Supporters of the new law, which is based on a European Union directive, say it will strengthen suspects' rights both in police questioning and in trials. "This would involve stronger rights for suspects and defendants throughout the legal process," says Jennie Bergling, a public prosecutor at the Legal, Financial, and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet), which is responsible for accrediting interpreters and translators. However, the recommendation that courts hire accredited interpreters highlights an ongoing concern about the country's lack of qualified interpreters. Sweden currently has 204 accredited legal interpreters, which may not be enough to meet the demand

if the proposed law is passed. The lack of qualified interpreters is blamed on poor working conditions, pay that has not changed since the 1990s, and the fact that one in four Swedish courts does not require interpreters to be accredited. In 2011, researchers at Lund University warned that half of Sweden's courtroom interpreters are so poor that they represent a threat to the functioning of the country's legal system, and urged the state to invest in interpreter training. The Swedish Bar Association (Advokatsamfundet), which has long been concerned with the problem of inadequate interpreters in the Swedish legal system, agrees that there is a need for better training programs in order to comply with the new law. "It's an incredibly large problem and I don't know if it looks to be getting any better," says Anne Ramberg, head of the Bar Association. She believes that significant effort is required to find a solution. "Ultimately, the politicians have a responsibility to ensure that there are resources available to train legal interpreters. It's also a question of seeing that interpreters get compensated appropriately so the profession is respected and attracts talented people," Ramberg says.

From "Courts Could Be Forced to Hire Interpreters"

The Local (Sweden) (01/06/13)

 

Interpretation definitions

Consecutive Interpreting

Consecutive interpreting is most often used when two or more people are having a conversation. Person A speaks, and then pauses while the interpreter conveys the sentence in Person B's language. Then, Person B speaks, and then pauses while the interpreter conveys the sentence in Person A's language. This type of interpreting is usually used in courtrooms, depositions, hospital and other healthcare settings, and some business meetings.

Conference Interpreting

Conference interpreting, sometimes referred to as simultaneous interpreting, is used when one person is speaking to a group of people and there is very little back and forth conversation. Most often, there are at least two interpreters per language pair. The interpreters sit in a soundproof booth and use receiving/transmitting equipment to both listen to the speaker and convey the speech in the audience's language. The audience wears portable receiving equipment and hears the speech in their language at the same time that the presenter is speaking in his or her language. This type of interpreting is most often used in large training sessions and in conference settings.

source : http://www.syntes.com

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