ImPLI: Improving Police and Legal Interpreting: The Belgian case

Our paper fits in with several subthemes of the Legal Discourse theme of the conference and will present the results of the transnational IMPLI project (JLS/2010/JPEN/AG). The speakers more specifically will highlight how their participating country (Belgium) implements the provisions of the new Directive 2010/64/EU on the right to interpreting and translation in criminal proceedings, putting their focal point on police interpreting and investigative interviewing in pre-trial in Belgium. After having presented the Belgian legal basis for interpretation at national level, they will deal with a very specific case-study that explains what happens when in Belgium a crime is committed and none of the parties (victim, witness or suspect) speaks the local language, nor a language in which police officers can communicate. In doing this, they will particularly focus on the fruitful collaboration that exists since years between the police, the magistrates and their interpreting training institution. Concretely, the speakers will illustrate - how police officers or examining magistrates act when they are confronted with a FL-user and how interpreters are recruited - how interpreters are prepared to fulfill their job through a solid training course for legal interpreters that is the result of a joint effort with interpreter trainers, magistrates, lawyers and police officers. This course is preceded by a screening test and followed by a sound assessment procedure that allows interpreters to become sworn interpreters with a higher professional status.. - how is been worked on awareness raising through training for the legal actors and for police officers in the police academy In presenting our results, we will permanently refer to the aims of the European directive and explain to what extent they have been reached or where there is room for approval; we will formulate recommendations and propose also future perspectives like the use of new technology in remote interpreting for the police or in pre-trial.status: publishe