Legal translation and interpreting in public services: defining key issues, re-examining policies, and locating the public in public service interpreting and translation (available in EN and CA)

Abstract

This monographic section of the Revista de Llengua i Dret, Journal of Language and Law presents the findings of six critical perspectives on translation and interpreting policies and practices in modern societies that pose challenges for public institutions. Taking a critical and empirical stance, the papers provide data and reflections on how language access is critical to fulfilling fundamental rights and ensuring the ability of institutions to implement their mandates effectively. The introductory article reviews the role of public services in present-day multilingual societies and of translation and interpreting in relation to the policies governing language access. It goes on to review conflicting implicit theories of translation and interpreting by providing a brief discussion of the roles prescribed and described for translators and interpreters. Finally, it proceeds to present the papers, which are constructed around two axes: (a) an examination of practices capable of providing evidence for policy redesign and reform; and (b) a fundamental review of the role of public service interpreting and translation (PSIT) itself, conducted by means of comparative studies which examine the needs and perceptions of PSIT in various domains, and the challenges of training in the face of emerging realities.

Keywords

• legal interpreting and translation
• translation policies
• language access
• social justice
• minorities
• multilingualism
• language rights
• migration