Access to justice in interpreted proceedings: The role of Judicial Officers

This project aims to examine the ways judicial officers can improve courtroom communication and prevent miscommunication and error, particularly in criminal cases where speakers of the 'new and emerging' and Aboriginal languages are involved, and where interpreters receive limited or no specialised training. Using an innovative interdisciplinary approach, the project aims to generate new knowledge in examining the variations in judicial officers’ communications practice when working with interpreters, and their impact on the effective transmission of information in the courtroom. Expected outcomes of this project will include improved outcomes of interpreted communication and a better access to justice for non-English speaking participants. The project's three key aims are to:

1: Explore judicial officers' communication practices in national and international interpreted courtroom proceedings;

2: Identify barriers to access to justice in interpreted proceedings;

3. Develop and disseminate strategic recommendations for enhanced communication strategies in interpreted proceedings.

This project aims to lead to unique benefits to the administration of justice by improving communication with non-English speakers and reducing risks of error when working with interpreters in court. The study will assess the extent of, and obstacles to, implementation of the new Recommended National Standards on Working with Interpreters in Courts and Tribunals, particularly in cases of the 'new and emerging' and Aboriginal languages. Impact will be achieved through improved quality of communication in interpreted proceedings, reduced risk of interlingual misinterpretation and judicial error. This will ultimately improve access to justice for users of the court system from linguistically diverse backgrounds.

This project is led by Chief Investigators Professor Ludmila Stern (Lead) (UNSW), Professor Sandra Hale (UNSW), Professor Stephen Doherty (UNSW) and Associate Professor Melanie Schwartz (UNSW) , in association with the following Partner Organisations: Aboriginal Interpreter Service NT; All Graduates Interpreting and Translation Services; Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators Inc.; The Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration; Judicial Council on Cultural Diversity, Multicultural NSW, National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters; TIS National. 


Videos

Presentation by Professor Ludmila Stern for the NAATI Court Interpreting IIP PD Session, 26 Oct 2022
Presentation by Professor Ludmila Stern for the NAATI Court Interpreting IIP PD Session 2022
2021 Annual symposium on legal interpreting hosted by the Translation and Interpreting Group, School of Humanities and Languages, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Includes presentations linked to the ARC Project.
2020 Annual symposium on legal interpreting hosted by the Translation and Interpreting Group, School of Humanities and Languages, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Includes presentations linked to the ARC Project.
This episode, Part 2 of a series of 4 episodes, sees the return of Professor Ludmila Stern and her ARC Linkage project, Communication between judicial officers and court interpreters: Implications for access to justice.
Conversations: Interpreting and Translating podcast by All Graduates

In Australia and internationally, a growing demand for courtroom interpreting presents significant challenges. In today’s episode Prof Ludmila Stern talks to us about her ARC (Australian Research Council) Linkage project: Access to justice in interpreted proceedings: The role of Judicial Officers.

This project aims to examine the ways judicial officers can improve courtroom communication and prevent miscommunication and error, particularly in criminal cases where speakers of the 'new and emerging' and Aboriginal languages are involved, and where interpreters receive limited or no specialised training.
Court interpreting & the RNS (Part 1 of 2), Oct 2022
Court interpreting & the RNS (Part 2 of 2), Oct 2022
Legal Interpreting Symposium, 9 December, 2021
Legal Interpreting Symposium, 4 December, 2020
Professor Ludmila Stern interview for the Conversations: Interpreting and Translating podcast by All Graduates (2)
Professor Ludmila Stern interview for the Conversations: Interpreting and Translating podcast by All Graduates (1)