Interpreting in court and public authorities
In court and at public authorities what was said goes on record. That is exactly why full transfer without smoothing matters here.
Typical occasions
Court dates
Hearings, taking of evidence and discussion appointments.
Meetings with lawyers
Taking on a case, clarifying the facts and preparing for a hearing.
Police
Questioning, filing a report and witness interviews.
Immigration office
Appearances, hearings and questions of residence status.
Notary appointments
Notarisation where mutual understanding has to be documented.
Insurance and expert opinions
Assessment appointments with legal consequences.
Neutrality is not a courtesy here
The interpreter takes no side. They transfer in the first person, they do not summarise, they do not explain legal terms and they advise no one.
Where a term has no equivalent in the target language, that is stated rather than covered up with an approximation. It costs a few seconds in the appointment and prevents an argument about the record later.
Lead time and delays
Court dates regularly run late. Book the interpreter with a buffer and give us the expected window rather than only the scheduled call.
Please also tell us how many people will speak. An appointment with several participants in the same language is a different task from a conversation between two.