In legal situations involving a person who does not speak the native language of that country, an accurate interpretation is vital to prevent misunderstandings between defendants, prosecutors, lawyers, judge and jury. Highly skilled interpreters should be employed to ensure a fair trial.

A court interpreter needs to possess not only a deep understanding of the languages, in which they specialise, but also a certain level of knowledge about the justice system and criminal procedures. It is essential that court interpreters remain impartial and interpret what is being said precisely, without allowing their own personal prejudices or values to seep in.

A study completed in Japan found that 6,992 foreigners were sentenced in 2007 and that 40 different foreign languages were interpreted in court during the same year. The Japanese courts currently have over 4,000 interpreters registered who cover 58 different language combinations, including the frequently requested Chinese, English and Korean.

Japanese courts hold occasional study meetings in order to maintain a high standard of interpretation. However, in Japan there is currently no system of certification through which they can ensure an interpreter’s knowledge of a language or their comprehension of legal terminology. Conversely, in the UK, the IoL (Institute of Linguists) offer a Diploma in Public Sector Interpretation (DPSI). In order to obtain this highly regarded Diploma the interpreter is required to specialise in a specific subject matter: Health, Law or Local Government. The DPSI offers the end user the assurance that the interpreter they are employing has the appropriate knowledge and experience to interpret their dialogue correctly.

Court/legal interpreters are present during the whole legal process: when the defendant is charged, during subsequent interviews and at the court appearance. Should you require a court interpreter, please contact The Translation People for a comprehensive estimate.

Tim Mowl, The Translation People’s principal Technical Illustrator reflects back on how illustration has changed through his time in the business.

The week before I completed my illustration course at Blackpool College they bought their very first Apple Mac. This was the first stage of a mini-revolution in the illustration world.

For the next six years I continually worked on illustrations for the aerospace industry. These were produced on a drawing board using a set square, ellipse guides, a ruler, pencil and Rotring ink pens. We sorted through piles of engineering drawings in order to find and draw all the relevant parts. After a pencil illustration had been produced on tracing paper, by measuring directly from the engineering drawings, you would put a piece of see-through ink film over the top and using the ellipse guides and an ink pen would copy over the pencil illustration below to produce the final artwork.

Producing full colour cutaway illustrations was even more time consuming. After a pencil illustration was produced you then had to cut out acetate sheets and place them over the relevant area. The illustrator then used an airbrush, attached to a compressor spray, to paint and slowly build up the colour layers. My sister in law and her business partner produced a full size colour cutaway illustration of the Ford Sierra when it first came out. It took them four months to complete and ended up in the foyer of the Natural History Museum in London. If the client had asked for another one from a different viewpoint it would have taken another four months.

Since the development of computer illustration software processes have definitely changed. Initially, you still had to interpret and draw from the engineering drawings, but gone were the ellipse guides and ink pens, which obviously speeded things up enormously. Today, as designers draw in 3D you can export these files directly into illustration packages and use them as a basis for your final illustrations thus almost completely removing the need for hard copy source information. I must admit to a sense of disappointment, as there was a certain satisfaction in producing complex illustrations the old traditional way.

The most dramatic effect was the change in producing colour artwork. You can now import a 3D model and, with a reasonably small amount of work to clean it up, rotate it to produce the view you require and set the colour rendering running. A few hours later you have a full colour high quality illustration. If another illustration is required from a different angle, the illustrator just rotates the model and re-renders. Gone are the weeks required to produce these manually, but with them also goes the skill of the airbrush artist.

As the world opens up to new modes of communication with many companies broadening their horizons and diversifying to conduct business across the internet, the written word remains an extremely important mode of communicating with clients. The professional services offered by translators and those specialising in language services are becoming key to how international companies operate.

Translators can offer a variety of services, including but not limited to the provision of printed translations and marketing and website translations which need to read as if they were written in the target language in the first place. In the current economic climate, how businesses communicate with clients and market their services is becoming crucial to their survival. Professional translators can produce documents to the same standard as a copywriter and to the exact requirements of their client.

Most companies do not have the time or the expertise to accomplish these tasks in-house and therefore, it is no surprise that translators are very much in demand. Technology may be evolving, but the power of the written word to convey your message in a variety of languages cannot be underestimated.

If your company is exhibiting at an international trade show it is vital that your marketing material is read by as many people as possible. Employing professional translation services could potentially double your readership, allowing you to reach a new audience and ensuring maximum exposure.

Your exhibition documentation could determine how delegates view your company, so it is essential that any translated marketing material is of the highest quality. Professional translators work only into their native tongue; using their services gives you maximum peace of mind and ensures your translated material reads as if it were written in the target language in the first place. Providing written material to business prospects, in their native language makes your marketing material much more persuasive. Although some of your readers may be fluent in more than one language, by translating your documents you demonstrate that your company is prepared to go that extra mile for its clients.

At larger exhibitions, you may also be competing against a large number of rival businesses. Having your displays and marketing material translated may well prove to be the unique selling point that differentiates you from the competition and wins you the business. Document translation allows your company to reach new markets and broadens your appeal.