Editing Language interpretation (section)

===Judicial===
{{See also|Legal translation}}

Judicial, legal, or court interpreting occurs in courts of justice, administrative tribunals, and wherever a legal proceeding is held (i.e., a police station for an interrogation, a conference room for a deposition, or the locale for taking a sworn statement). Legal interpreting can be the consecutive interpretation of witnesses' testimony, for example, or the simultaneous interpretation of entire proceedings, by electronic means, for one person, or all of the people attending. In a legal context, where ramifications of misinterpretation may be dire, accuracy is paramount. Teams of two or more interpreters, with one actively interpreting and the second monitoring for greater accuracy, may be deployed.

The right to a competent interpreter for anyone who does not understand the language of the court (especially for the accused in a criminal trial) is usually considered a fundamental rule of justice. Therefore, this right is often guaranteed in national constitutions, declarations of rights, fundamental laws establishing the justice system or by precedents set by the highest courts. However, it is not a constitutionally required procedure (in the United States) that a certified interpreter be present at police [[interrogation]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7035&context=jclc#page=27|title=Confessions and Culture: The Interaction of Miranda and Diversity|last=Einesman|first=Floralynn|date=1999|publisher=Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology|page=26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922024515/http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7035&context=jclc|archive-date=2017-09-22|access-date=2017-09-29}}</ref> This has been especially controversial in cases where [[illegal immigrants]] with no English skills are accused of crimes.

In the US, depending upon the regulations and standards adhered to per state and venue, court interpreters usually work alone when interpreting consecutively, or as a team, when interpreting simultaneously. In addition to practical mastery of the source and target languages, thorough knowledge of law and legal and court procedures is required of court interpreters. They are often required to have formal authorization from the state to work in the courts – and then are called certified court interpreters.<ref group="note">The majority of state court systems utilize a certification exam developed and administered by the National Center for State Courts. Most non-native speakers of English use the term "sworn interpreter," which is calqued from a civil-law position title common throughout the world. However, there is no common law country{{Clarify|date=June 2012|reason=Does this refer to common law, i. e., case law, in general, or specifically to the common law of England and historically connected countries?}} that uses this term.</ref> In many jurisdictions, the interpretation is considered an essential part of the evidence. Incompetent interpretation, or simply failure to swear in the interpreter, can lead to a mistrial.