The UK House of Lords Public Services Committee has released a 76-page report of conclusions and recommendations to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) concerning translation and interpreting services for UK courts, just a few days after a proposed new framework was published for public service interpreting.

The Public Services Committee first opened the inquiry in August 2024, in which the Lords queried LSPs on the interpreter rates, the MoJ confirmed AI pilots in prisons, and the Lords questioned the lack of AI for court interpreting.

The report concluded that “there is a clear disconnect between what the government hopes is happening, what the companies contracted to deliver the services believe is happening, and what frontline interpreters and legal professionals report is happening with interpreting services in the courts.”

Given the disconnect, the Public Services Committee recommended that the quality and consistency of data on court interpreting should be improved, and that further data should be released “from the next quarterly data release onwards.”

In addition, the report outlines the need for a “stakeholder forum” between frontline legal professionals, interpreters, and the MoJ, within the next six months.

“There is a clear disconnect between what the government hopes is happening, what the companies contracted to deliver the services believe is happening, and what frontline interpreters and legal professionals report is happening with interpreting services in the courts.”

Recommendations for Quality Assurance

As part of the inquiry, the Lords questioned quality assurance provider, The Language Shop, on processes to carry out checks on interpreting quality. 

The report concluded that assessments should regularly take place “in closed settings” such as family courts, and that “processes should be amended to enable assessors to effectively judge the quality of whispered interpreting, […] including through the use of recorded cases.”

Similarly, the Committee recommends more data be published on quality assurance “from the next quarterly data release,” on the number of assessments taken, and those with identified problems, among other data points. Other recommendations are made regarding the complaints process for staff, representatives and other relevant stakeholders.

Recommendations on Interpreters

The Committee recognized that interpreters have left the profession, or have chosen to work off-contract, due to “issues with pay and terms and conditions.”

The report outlined that “to ensure sustainability of the interpreter workforce in the short- and long-term, the [MoJ] should take steps to improve pay for interpreters, including the introduction of minimum pay rates for interpreters, drawing on examples such as the Police Approved Interpreters and Translations (PAIT) scheme.”

“The MoJ should increase rates for minimum booking time and cancellation rates, ensuring that language companies pass on an appropriate amount to interpreters.”

The Committee recommends that “the new contract includes provision for reviewing and increasing minimum pay for interpreters on at least an annual basis. Such increases should come alongside increased funding for the providers of interpreting services.”

In addition, the report recommends that “the MoJ should increase rates for minimum booking time and cancellation rates, ensuring that language companies pass on an appropriate amount to interpreters.”

“The two-hour guarantee should be revised to ensure that payment is proportionate to the length of the booking, and cancellation fees should be proportionate to the notice of cancellation and the length of the booking.”

“The Ministry of Justice should insist that language service providers increase pay for travel time and expenses. A travel compensation system should be designed where travel expenses paid to interpreters is commensurate to travel costs,” it concluded.

Interpreting Qualifications and Technology

Following recent recommendations to ensure all interpreters are qualified to a Level 6 standard, the report outlined that this requirement be included in the new contract “once an appropriate number of level 6 qualified interpreters are on the register.” In addition, the Committee asked the MoJ to “provide progress updates every six months following the publication of the Government’s response to this report.”

On the subject of technology, the Committee believes that “remote interpreting, if done correctly, can increase opportunities for interpreters to undertake more work, retain their take-home pay, and help stabilize the number of interpreters leaving the profession.”

The MoJ “should ensure that the necessary infrastructure, training and culture change are implemented to maximize the benefits of remote interpreting where appropriate.” 

The Committee recommended that remote interpreting could be introduced “more widely in cases with lower stakes such as procedural, administrative, and technical hearings in order to incentivize interpreters to take shorter bookings, while retaining in-person interpreters for higher stake hearings such as full trials, plea hearings and sentencing,” it concluded.

“[The MoJ should] develop and publish a funded roadmap for the introduction of AI tools for interpreting in public services within six months.”

Recommendations on AI

On the subject of AI, the Committee recognized the risks associated with implementing this technology in the court system. However, it maintains that “the use of AI tools in the private sector and the rapid development of AI suggests that there are significant future opportunities for use in the courts.”

The report recommended that the MoJ “develop and publish a funded roadmap for the introduction of AI tools for interpreting in public services within six months. This roadmap should include proposals to make court technology capable of implementing AI tools for interpreting. Engagement with AI companies, language companies and interpreters should also inform the roadmap.”

The Committee concluded that: “the MOJ should, as soon as possible, develop ‘exemplar courts’ which pilot the introduction of different audio-visual technologies and the use of AI to support interpreters and translators, in order to test and develop standards for AI use in courts.”

The MoJ is expected to respond to the Committee’s report by May 2025, and the Committee has requested progress reports on the implementation of its recommendations from September 2025 onwards.