Language as a Barrier — and a Bridge
In any society governed by laws, access to justice is a fundamental right — but for many, language remains a barrier to that right being fully realised. Interpreters play a vital, often invisible role in making legal systems more equitable and accessible. They ensure that everyone, regardless of the language they speak, can understand what’s happening, be heard, and participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives.
Whether in courtrooms, police interviews, immigration hearings, or human rights investigations, interpreters do more than translate words. They bridge gaps of power, culture, and understanding. Their work is central to upholding the integrity of justice itself.
The Right to Understand and Be Understood
The right to a fair trial means more than being physically present in a courtroom. It means understanding the charges brought against you, following proceedings, and being able to communicate clearly with legal representatives. For people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or who speak a language other than the dominant one, this right is only possible when professional interpreting services are provided.
Without accurate and timely interpretation, misunderstandings can lead to wrongful convictions, unjust detentions, or the denial of protections like asylum. Interpreters help safeguard against these outcomes, ensuring that legal language — with all its precision and weight — is faithfully conveyed to all parties involved.
Interpreting Beyond the Courtroom
But the role of interpreters extends far beyond the courtroom. In immigration interviews, detention centres, community legal clinics, and human rights inquiries, interpreters work at the front lines of justice. These are often emotionally charged, complex environments. Individuals may be disclosing experiences of trauma, displacement, or abuse.
Interpreters must navigate these conversations with care, professionalism, and sensitivity. They carry the responsibility of conveying not just language, but also tone, emotion, and intent — ensuring that people’s stories are heard in full, and with dignity.
This work comes with significant challenges. Legal and human rights interpreters must maintain pinpoint accuracy under pressure, often in high-stakes or hostile environments. They are expected to remain impartial even when faced with confronting or morally difficult material. Many also experience emotional fatigue and vicarious trauma from interpreting distressing testimonies — often without adequate support or recognition.
Yet despite these demands, interpreters are frequently underpaid, under-trained, and excluded from broader discussions about justice reform.
Silent Advocates for Human Rights
Their work, however, is not merely technical. In many settings, interpreters become quiet advocates. By enabling people to speak in their own words — in their own language — interpreters allow individuals to retain agency and power over their own narratives. In this way, interpreters contribute to truth-telling, reconciliation, and legal accountability.
They are essential in ensuring that language is not used as a tool of exclusion or control, but as a bridge to fairness, safety, and belonging.
This is particularly true in movements that centre collective justice. From First Nations land rights to refugee protections, from women’s safety to disability advocacy, interpreters help ensure that those most at risk of being silenced are not left out of the conversation.
Their presence reinforces the idea that every voice matters — and that justice must be multilingual, multicultural, and inclusive if it is to be just at all.
Final Thought: The Power to Be Heard
Justice is not real if it only exists for those who speak the dominant language. Interpreters make access to justice possible, not as a favour or formality, but as a fundamental part of legal and human rights systems. Their words carry more than meaning — they carry the power to be heard, believed, and protected.