Key takeaways
- GOV.UK says a criminal defendant will be given an interpreter, and deaf or hard-of-hearing people will always be given one.
- In civil courts, interpreters are provided for possession and committal cases; in other civil cases only if you cannot pay, do not qualify for legal aid and have no approved friend or relative to interpret.
- Article 6(3)(e) of the European Convention on Human Rights, in UK law through the Human Rights Act 1998, gives a criminal defendant the free assistance of an interpreter.
- The Ministry of Justice recorded 53,253 completed language service requests in one quarter of 2026, with a 96% success rate.
This article explains how interpreting works in courts and tribunals in England and Wales. It is written for parties, witnesses, solicitors and HR or legal teams supporting someone who does not speak English well enough to follow a hearing. Scotland and Northern Ireland run separate court services, so check with the relevant court there.
Interpreting at a hearing is only part of the language picture in a case. Documents usually need translating too, as described in our guide to legal translation.
Who is entitled to a court interpreter in England and Wales?
Entitlement to a court interpreter depends on your role in the case and the type of court. GOV.UK guidance on getting an interpreter at a court or tribunal sets out the position for each jurisdiction.
| Court or situation | When an interpreter is provided | Who arranges it |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal court, defendant | Always | The court |
| Criminal court, prosecution witness | When needed | The prosecuting agency, for example the Crown Prosecution Service |
| Criminal court, defence witness | When needed | The defence solicitor |
| Civil court | Possession of property or land, and committal cases; other cases only if strict conditions are met | The court |
| Family court | Cases involving children, domestic violence or forced marriage; other cases only if strict conditions are met | The court |
| Tribunals | On request, often on the appeal form | The tribunal |
| Deaf or hard of hearing | Always | The court or tribunal |
For other civil and family cases, GOV.UK says you might still get an interpreter, "but only if all of the following apply": you cannot afford to pay for one, you do not qualify for legal aid, and you do not have a friend or family member whom the judge says can act as your interpreter.
Is a criminal defendant's right to an interpreter protected by law?
Yes. A criminal defendant's right to an interpreter is a human right in UK law. Article 6(3)(e) of the European Convention on Human Rights, set out in Schedule 1 to the Human Rights Act 1998, says everyone charged with a criminal offence has the right:
"to have the free assistance of an interpreter if he cannot understand or speak the language used in court."
The right covers understanding the proceedings, not just giving evidence. It is the reason the court, not the defendant, books and pays for the interpreter in criminal cases.
How do you ask for an interpreter at a court or tribunal?
You ask the court or tribunal dealing with your case, and you should do it well before the hearing date. The steps below apply in most courts and tribunals in England and Wales.
- Check whether one has been booked. Criminal defendants can contact the court to confirm. Represented parties should ask their solicitor.
- Give the exact language and dialect. "Kurdish" is not enough: say Sorani or Kurmanji. For Chinese, say Mandarin or Cantonese.
- Use the right form. Some tribunals ask on the appeal form. In the Immigration and Asylum Chamber you can use form IAFT-3 "to ask for support at the hearing, for example, an interpreter or wheelchair access", according to GOV.UK.
- Ask about family members early. A friend or relative can interpret only if the judge gives permission before the hearing.
- Mention any special needs. Tell the court about gender preferences, hearing loss or the need for a relay interpreter.
For appeals in the immigration tribunal, see our article on translation for immigration appeals and tribunal bundles.
Who supplies interpreters to the courts, and how many bookings are there?
The Ministry of Justice buys interpreting and translation for courts and tribunals through central language services contracts, supplemented by off-contract bookings. Its statistics are published in the quarterly criminal court statistics but cover the whole Ministry of Justice.
The April to June 2026 bulletin recorded 53,253 completed language service requests in the quarter, up 4% on the previous year. The success rate was 96%, and there were 286 complaints, an overall complaint rate of 0.5%. The bulletin also said reliance on off-contract provision was expected to fall after new language services contracts were implemented in October 2026.
What qualifications do court interpreters have?
Interpreters working in courts and other public services need proven competence, and one way to check credentials is the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). NRPSI describes itself as "the UK's independent voluntary regulator of professional interpreters specialising in public service".
According to NRPSI, every registrant has met its standards for education, training and practice and is subject to its Code of Professional Conduct. The register is free to search, so solicitors can check an interpreter's registration when they instruct one for a conference or a defence witness.
How much are court interpreters paid?
Pay for interpreters in courts depends on who instructs them. Where an interpreter is paid as an expert under criminal legal aid, Schedule 5 of the Criminal Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013 lists the interpreter rate as £32 an hour outside London and £29 an hour in London.
Those figures apply to legally aided defence work. They are not the rates HMCTS pays under its own contracts, and private rates for business interpreting differ again. For a broader view of costs, see our article on interpreter costs in the UK.
What should you do if interpreting goes wrong in a hearing?
If you think interpreting is inaccurate, raise it immediately with the judge, through your representative if you have one. A problem raised at the time can be corrected; one raised after judgment is much harder to remedy.
Practical steps include asking for a short pause, asking the interpreter to repeat or clarify, and noting the exact passage concerned. Complaints about an interpreter booked by the court can be made to the court, and complaints about an NRPSI registrant can also go to NRPSI.
Common mistakes when a case needs an interpreter
Most interpreting problems in court start with poor preparation rather than poor interpreting. These are the mistakes to avoid.
- Asking too late. Rare languages may need weeks to source.
- Naming the wrong language. A national language may not be the witness's first language.
- Using a relative without permission. The judge must approve this before the hearing.
- Assuming the court interpreter will translate documents. Hearing interpreters interpret what is said; written evidence needs separate translation, as explained in our article on witness statement translation.
- Not briefing on names and terms. A list of names, places and technical terms helps the interpreter.
How TranslationWorks can help
TranslationWorks is a UK-based translation agency that provides professional translation by native-speaking linguists in more than 150 languages, together with interpreting services. TranslationWorks is registered to ISO 17100, the international standard for translation services. In England and Wales, hearing interpreters are arranged through the court, the tribunal or the prosecuting agency, as described above. Where documents in your case need translating, such as letters, contracts or exhibits, our legal translation service can help. When you request a free quote, tell us where the translation will be submitted and what format the court or tribunal requires, and we will confirm what we can provide.
