On the Same Page or Not: Revisiting Interpreting Protocols and Guidelines in Australian Courts and Tribunals

Interpreter protocols and guidelines represent the common ground on interpreting standards shared among all parties responsible in a multilingual courtroom. Tracing Hale�s (2011) comprehensive examination of interpreter protocols and guidelines in the Australian justice system before 2010, this study revisits publicly available protocols, guidelines and policies in Australian courts and tribunals in the past decade to investigate if there now exists a consensus on what to expect when interpreters perform their duties in courtrooms. The past decade saw the establishment of a national protocol on working with interpreters in court settings and a renewed specialised credential for legal interpreters. Nonetheless, a survey of currently available guidelines and protocols shows the magnitude of work still to be done before jurists and policy makers across Australian jurisdictions are on the same page with regards to a consistent legal interpreting practice nationwide. As Australia continues to lead in the professionalisation of legal interpreting, the Australian experience yields valuable insights for countries in their pursuit of a standardised interpreting service as the arm of law.