http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Talking-money-The-job-of.6058655.jp
John Wheen
Published Date:
10 February 2010
10 February 2010
Interpreters play a key role in Britain, from high-profile court cases to helping the NHS. Grant Woodward reports on a multi-billion pound industry
When John Wheen was made redundant in the early 1990s he decided to take the plunge and set up his own interpreting firm. * Click here for latest YEP news.
A former international marketing director with major British firm Thorn EMI, he began offering interpreting and translation services to business and public sector clients.
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Nearly two decades on, the gamble has well and truly paid off.
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His company, 1st Transnational Translations, has several offices dotted around the world and 11 in the UK, including a major centre in Park Square East in Leeds.
Helped by recent legislation, business is booming in the interpreting game.
Under the Human Rights Act of 1998, law courts now have an obligation to provide interpreters for people involved in a case who cannot understand or speak the language being used.
In this country, Her Majesty's Courts Service pays interpreters a minimum of £85 a day, rising to at least £110 a day for weekends or public holidays.
According to figures released last month by the Ministry of Justice, the cost of providing interpreters in legal cases in England and Wales amounted to £11.5 million in the 12 months between April 2008 and April last year.
John Wheen says it is part of the reason why the demand for interpreters has surged so markedly since the business was established, particularly over the last 10 years.
"In court it's essential that if someone can't speak English they are provided, at the government's expense, with an interpreter," he said.
"We pride ourselves on being able to supply any language, that's always been our target."
1st Transnational Translations principally supplies solicitors with interpreters for criminal and civil cases.
In the past the role was often filled by one of the client's relatives or friends, but concerns that it had led to miscarriages of justice paved the way for independent interpreters.
Costs vary depending on the language required, with interpreters able to charge more for their services if the language is less common.
For consecutive interpretation – where the words are interpreted during a pause in conversation – their fee is commonly around £300 a day.
For simultaneous interpreting – where the interpreter translates the words as the speaker is talking – it can rise to as much as £550.
Some languages are harder to find than others.
"Until recently the most difficult to find was Kazakh which we had to find through a former ambassador to the country because at one time there was virtually no one from Kazakhstan in Britain at all," said Mr Wheen.
"Prior to the expansion of the European Union it was very difficult to find Estonian and Lithuanian speakers but they're both now more common."
The languages currently most in demand are Urdu, spoken by people from Pakistan, Pashtu (Afghanistan), Punjabi (India), French and Polish.
Just weeks ago West Yorkshire Police appealed for interpreters who can speak at least one of 51 migrant languages.
The idea is to create a pool of linguists the force can call on in a bid to cut the cost of hiring freelance interpreters.
Yorkshire police forces currently spend more than £2m a year in translator fees – with the majority of that money being spent in West Yorkshire, where interpreters charge up to £30 for 20 minutes work.
The NHS also has obligations to offer equal access to healthcare for non-English speakers under legislation including the European Race Directive and the Human Rights Act.
It has been estimated that translation services cost the health service £55m every year.
Telephone service NHS Direct allows callers to state which language they require and it will then put them through to the relevant interpreter who will ask them for the necessary information for a diagnosis. However, this system has come in for criticism due to its £255,000 a year cost and the fact that some of the 160 languages offered are in limited demand.
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