View source for Interpreters

[[Fr:Interprètes]]
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==General Principles==
Every person charged with a crime has a right to the assistance of an interpreter where they cannot understand the English or French language.<ref>Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms [http://canlii.org/en/ca/charter_digest/s-14.html section 14]</ref> 
Section 14 of the Charter states:
{{quotation1|
14. A party or witness in any proceedings who does not understand or speak the language in which the proceedings are conducted or who is deaf has the right to the assistance of an interpreter.
|[http://canlii.ca/t/8q7l CCRF]
}}

Interpretation must be continuous, precise, impartial and contemporaneous. <ref> 
{{CanLIIRx|Wong|flkdk|2011 ONCJ 264 (CanLII)}}{{perONCJ|Horkins J}}{{atL|flkdk|20}}</ref>

Evidence given through an interpreter in court is presumed to have provided an accurate interpretation unless the claimant can demonstrate otherwise.<ref>
{{CanLIIRP|Titchener|fw2mr|2013 BCCA 64 (CanLII)|333 BCAC 234}}{{perBCCA|Ryan JA}}{{atL|fw2mr|30}}<br>
</ref>

; Competence
This right requires that the interpreter be a competent one.<ref>
{{CanLIIRP|Rybak|1wsq6|2008 ONCA 354 (CanLII)|[2008] OJ No 1715}}{{perONCA-H|Watt JA}}{{atL|1wsq6|84}}<br>
{{CanLIIRP|Sidhu|1jlfq|2005 ONCJ 8 (CanLII)|[2005] OJ No 4881}}{{perONCJ|Lampkin J}}</ref> 
This does not mean that s. 14 of the Charter extends guarantee to an accredited or certified interpreter.<ref>
See {{CanLIIRP|Sidhu|1m14s|2005 CanLII 42491 (ONSC)|203 CCC (3d) 17}}{{perONSC|Hill J}}{{atL|1m14s|298}}</ref>
The interpreter must simply be a competent and qualified court interpreter.<ref>
{{CanLIIRP|Tran|1frqw|1994 CanLII 56 (SCC)|92 CCC (3d) 218}}{{perSCC|Lamer CJ}}</ref>
Unaccredited interpreters will often be held to be inadequate.<ref>
{{CanLIIR-N| NS |, [2010] OJ No 3255}}<br>
{{CanLIIRP|Thillayampalam|fphxc|2011 ONCJ 800 (CanLII)|248 CRR (2d) 373}}{{perONCJ|Bourque J}}{{atL|fphxc|8}}<br>
</ref>

To determine whether an interpreter is sufficiently competent the court must look at "the nature of the accreditation and the validity of the test upon which it is based, the test results attained, the mode of interpretation required, the expected length of the proceedings, and the technical nature of the subject matters in the proceeding."<ref>
{{CanLIIRP|Dutt|flqc4|2011 ONSC 3329 (CanLII)|236 CRR (2d) 305}}{{perONCJ|Hill J}}{{atL|flqc4|12}}
</ref>

; Procedure
Before an interpreter can testify, he must be sworn.<ref>
{{supra1|Tran}}{{atp|988}} ("an interpreter must at least be sworn by taking the interpreter’s oath before beginning to interpret the proceedings")</ref>

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