The hidden side of public service interpreting
- Yelena McCafferty
- Jul 15
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
As public debates in the UK around immigration issues continue, the question of the cost of public service interpreters inevitably hits the national media agenda.
We see it in the articles criticising the taxpayer bill for interpreting services, focusing almost exclusively on whether this spending can be justified. Police forces and legal experts point out that interpreters do not interpret just for suspects; they are vital to investigations, working with victims, witnesses and officers to keep the justice system moving.
To give them their credit, those who work alongside us in the public sector do recognise and appreciate the painstaking work we do. But to the uninitiated, the less appealing aspects of the job, the physical hazards and risks often remain entirely hidden.
The stories are actually out there in the UK news, but the average reader rarely notices small details. For interpreters, however, these details stand out immediately. We don't just read about them, we identify with them.
Hazards in the Courtroom
In this report by Manchester Evening News, for example, a court interpreter gets grabbed by the neck by a defendant staging an outburst of hallucinations. Outrageous? Yet it happened in daylight, in a public place, in a court room, in front of the jury. An occupational hazard? Most definitely.
Similarly, a court reporter on X/Twitter highlighted another case:
Fancy experiencing it on your own neck? I doubt it!
However, it’s not always negative emotions that defendants disburden on people who happen to be next to them. One defendant hugged his interpreter after being cleared of an offence and hugged and kissed his lawyer too, Plymouth Herald reported. At least the interpreter laughed back. I am not sure how the lawyer felt.
In yet another tweet a barrister tells of a court interpreter becoming a victim of an accident at work: “The court interpreter has been hospitalised by a falling panel from the ceiling hitting him on the head in the courtroom #mojcuts.” Oops, I suppose things can happen anywhere.
Risks, Secondary Trauma and Resilience
This personal safety issue aside, has anyone considered the risk of catching “exotic” infections and illnesses? Interpreters do come into contact with people of all sorts of backgrounds, often less fortunate. Getting caught up in the middle of traumatic human dramas can take a heavy toll, too. Emotional exhaustion is common, and the risk of secondary post-traumatic stress is real.
Who would have thought? Every profession has its occupational hazards, even public service interpreting. And most of us do the job with dedication and perhaps a certain degree of self-sacrifice.
[Tip: to book a Russian interpreter, call us on 0207 043 6940 or email enquiry@talkrussian.com. More details on legal aid rates]
