 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
POL Tłumacze przysięgli SPA Traductores / intérpretes jurados |
other names
Authorised/court-appointed/court-authorised interpreters and/or translators, permanent court interpreters, official interpreters/translators, depending on jurisdiction; also: court interpreters and legal translators (FIT) or legal interpreters and translators (EULITA, broader scope).
Care should be taken to distinguish SITs from court interpreters (cf. Court interpreting), as in some countries they are yet another group of interpreters, while in others the name is synonymous with sworn interpreters/translators (SITs).
SITs are sometimes treated as a sub-group of court-appointed experts or expert witnesses.
In countries where the profession of SIT does not exist there may be certified interpreters and/or translators. There is also a possibility of confusion or overlap of tasks with community or public service interpreters (cf. Community interpreting).
abstract
Sworn interpreters/translators (SITs) are interpreters and/or translators who are authorised or accredited by the state or a professional organisation to prepare translations of documents in foreign languages that are to be used in the justice system and/or in public administration, and/or to interpret in courts, law enforcement bodies, and state institutions from and/or into foreign languages. Official authorisation is usually provided by ministries of justice or foreign affairs, governmental agencies, certain higher-level courts or selected universities. The right to free, publicly provided interpretation/translation in criminal trials stems from instruments of international law, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights or the American Convention on Human Rights, as well as from case law of international courts and from provisions of national law.
The main area of specialisation of SITs is Legal translation, which poses high demands in terms of training. An attempt to set minimum qualifications for legal translators is ISO 20771:2020 standard. SITs have to meet special ethical requirements, including impartiality, objectivity and confidentiality. In their work SITs can incur disciplinary liability, but also civil or criminal liability.
Rules of access to the profession (exams, verification, professional experience, membership of professional organisations), the entities keeping registers of SITs (if any), the requirements to use services of SITs, the manner of certifying translations, the status and protection of the professional title (if any), etc. vary considerably from country to country. Training is also differently regulated or left unregulated, with university courses or professional organisations trying to fill the void. Exams are sometimes criticised for failing to test the relevant skills or lacking clear criteria. In many countries the profession does not exist and (self-)certification schemes are in place instead to guarantee adequate quality of services provided for the administration of justice. In some countries this creates the risk of injustice.
Research on job satisfaction has shown that SITs value aspects such as scale of activity, independence, social service or ability utilisation, while they are less happy about compensation or security. Low official rates and poor working conditions are even reasons for strikes in some countries. Of concern is also SITs exposure to risks such as violence when working for the police or courts. Other sources of stress named by SITs include lack of access to case materials, sense of responsibility (including fear of making mistakes), having to interpret judges or parties who are not used to being interpreted, unrealistic productivity expectations or lack of respect.
record
 |
Anna Setkowicz-Ryszka |
 |
2024 |
 |
Setkowicz-Ryszka, Anna. 2024. "Sworn interpreters / translators" @ ENTI (Encyclopedia of translation and interpreting). AIETI. |
 |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10951480 |
 |
https://www.aieti.eu/enti/sworn_ENG |