A current debate: good quality at a fair price or low quality for a few cents? The press release is reproduced below with a problem which is valid not only in Spain but it is worth analyzing in their implications for other Latin American countries and perhaps even in other prestigious as a first-world countries. It is clear that professional translation is likely to have less undesirable consequences (not only because of misunderstandings, but also in sentences corresponding to the distortion arising from interpretation or translation in legal cases) that a translation made by those who enter on the job with little preparation and a profit motive based in the provision of services "by volume" ... LRMQ ... Then the statement ...
THE QUALITY OF JUDICIAL INTERPRETATION AND POLICE: PRESS RELEASE OF THE SPANISH ASSOCIATION OF TRANSLATORS, INTERPRETERS AND CORRECTION (Asetrad)
view of the recent complaints about the poor quality of interpretation services provided in courts and police stations, made by a panel of judges and magistrates in Madrid, the English Association of Translators, Correctors and Interpreters (Asetrad) wishes to convey to the government in general and the administration of justice and law enforcement groups in particular, a number of considerations.
be noted that the situation created and reported a direct result of a misguided bid system, in which only the price premium service, without requiring proof of its quality assurance. And the quality is ensured by hiring qualified professionals and the payment of a fee to compensate their efforts. It is clear that having this or that certification according to ISO, UNE or the like does not guarantee any capacity as the company whose malpractice has resulted in the complaint is certified according to ISO 9000 (general procedures) and the UNE-EN-15038 ( best practices for vendors written translation services, not for interpretation, ie the 'translation' oral). Asetrad means that instead could be achieved if quality assurance is put into practice a series of relatively simple measures:
- Recognition of the importance of a service on which rests the right to a trial with all guarantees assisting the accused. This is at odds with the establishment Express as the only economic criteria in awarding contracts for this service and a maximum rate that can not allow the recruitment of professionals with appropriate training. Of note is the difference between administrations in this regard. The Ministry of Justice, where the specifications and technical requirements for the hiring of an interpretation in the courts assigned to the Central Organ Territorial Management "sets the maximum hourly fee for interpreting services, paid to the utility contractor, not the provider latter being the interpreter, at 60 euros net of VAT (additional waiting hours to 50%). In the "special administrative clauses to govern in the service contract entitled service language interpretation and translation for the courts and prosecutor's offices the Community of Madrid ", however, the same service is priced for the contracting company in just 28 euros per hour, including VAT (and 24.50 euros after 90 minutes, without waiting hours paid) .
- The forced recruitment of qualified professionals. The police and judicial interpretation is a professional job and there is the figure of "translator-interpreter" as a person whose mastery of the language of their specialty and their ability to use in these areas are certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation . Calls, then the competent authorities for the establishment of the compulsory recruitment of these professional 'jurors', provided that they exist in the language combination required. More specifically, there is no excuse to not hire, necessarily, these professionals when arrested or prosecuted language is a language of our environment: Portuguese, French, Italian, English or German when the judicial mind with these professionals. Otherwise, you must hire professional translators (Translation and Interpretation graduates or people with a proven track record in the profession).
- The promotion of at least basic training in the techniques of interpretation, together with the assurance domain enough of the two languages \u200b\u200bfor which they are recruited, in the case of languages \u200b\u200b(African, especially, but also from Eastern Europe, Middle East and Asia) for which there are no interpreters.
- Direct contact with the profession, through their representative associations. This would include consultation with professional codes and such partnerships experts when drawing up the specifications, only the promotion of direct recruitment of translators and interpreters in cases where the service conditions allow, as a guarantee work more efficient and fair allocation of available funds.
- Strict control by the contracting authority of the contracted services. A first step would be to review the proportionality between the fee charged by the interpreter and the overall cost of services: ie, the tenders will be asked to indicate the price to be paid to provide the service professional. A second essential step in this direction would be a system to ensure that companies awarded contracts between performers and comply with the law. -
- Finally, an analysis, language by language, as required. This would create training programs that allow the adjustment of supply to demand, especially in regard to lesser-spoken languages \u200b\u200bin our country.
The English Association of Translators, Correctors and Interpreters is totally unacceptable to be awarded translation and interpretation services in general and the judicial police and the Community of Madrid in particular, in conditions that do not qualify rather than the provider painful past. As expressed some of those directly involved, the current contractor has established unilaterally by 12 euros per hour worked the fee received by the interpreter. Under these conditions, it is obviously impossible to guarantee quality.
Madrid, February 18, 2010
