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Privatization of legal interpreting services in the UK
Thread poster: Trans_Interp
Aisha Maniar
Aisha Maniar  Identity Verified
Member
Arabic to English
+ ...
Separate issues Jan 22, 2014

Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz wrote:

My problem with the UK scheme is that it's basically an 18th-century-style monopoly. Anti-trust laws were invented and put in place to prevent that sort of thing. Now those wretched tenders do away with decades or centuries of anti-trust laws and basically set up an old-style monopolist. Just make translators and interpreters public servants under a ministry instead.


The issue of outsourcing seems to be Europe-wide and world-wide. As far as I know, similar moves are ongoing in Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany, as well as to the wider legal system (privatising legal aid in the UK).
The UK is a common law jurisdiction and so there is no certification or need for translators and interpreters to answer to a ministry. The system wasn't broke before, but it is now. It's also not just the interpreters who are short-changed as a result but the ability of the courts and lawyers to do their job, and the confidence the public has in all involved.
I do not disagree with the monopolies part.


 
Aisha Maniar
Aisha Maniar  Identity Verified
Member
Arabic to English
+ ...
Two years on Jan 30, 2014

Today is the second anniversary of the framework agreement for court interpreting services in England and Wales coming into force. Here's my analysis of performance and what has been happening over th... See more
Today is the second anniversary of the framework agreement for court interpreting services in England and Wales coming into force. Here's my analysis of performance and what has been happening over the past year, if of interest: http://onesmallwindow.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/anatomy-of-a-disaster-privatisation-of-court-interpreting-services/ There does not appear to be much improvement.Collapse


 
Pavel Slama
Pavel Slama  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:41
Member (2014)
English to Czech
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Is it that bad? Feb 6, 2014

I have a question. I am relatively new to public service interpreting in London. I just got off the phone with one of the big agencies. They offered to register me, informing me their conditions are: £16 per hour, no travel time or travel expenses, minimum time paid for 1 hour. This is not the only agency with similar terms.

Now I can’t see why I shouldn’t go and show my DPSI to Capita, if what they offer to Tier 1 interpreters seems in comparison rather fair and reasonable?


 
Charlie Bavington
Charlie Bavington  Identity Verified
Local time: 13:41
French to English
You'll need Rentaghost travel skills Feb 6, 2014

£16 / hour, assuming 7 hours work every weekday and 260 working days per year (from memory, that's the number of days payroll systems use to deduce hourly rates), i.e. no holidays, days off sick or just for a rest, equates to roughly £29k a year.

The average salary is, I think, around £26k (depends who you ask!).

How much more than average do you think you're worth? Assuming you could get 7 paid hours every day, 260 days a year.

FWIW, £16 doesn't even c
... See more
£16 / hour, assuming 7 hours work every weekday and 260 working days per year (from memory, that's the number of days payroll systems use to deduce hourly rates), i.e. no holidays, days off sick or just for a rest, equates to roughly £29k a year.

The average salary is, I think, around £26k (depends who you ask!).

How much more than average do you think you're worth? Assuming you could get 7 paid hours every day, 260 days a year.

FWIW, £16 doesn't even cover the cost of a zones 1-6 peak time travel card. Depends where you live, of course, but do a one-hour job requiring you to travel before 9.30 and you'll actually end up out of pocket.

Now, I don't know where you live relative to the work you expect to get, but if you're not going to get travel time or travel costs paid, then do the maths on a few hypothetical examples and work out what the effective rate of pay really is. If you can get day-long gigs literally round the corner from your house, it might not be *that* bad. If you've got to drag yourself across town for a couple of hours work and that's your day gone, maybe not....
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Pavel Slama
Pavel Slama  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:41
Member (2014)
English to Czech
+ ...
Worse than Capita Feb 7, 2014

Charlie, most of their assignments would actually be one hour or less, and with Czech being a small language, there'd be hardly ever be more than one on a day. So although "out of pocket" may be a slight exaggeration, it definitely falls well below the national minimum wage, and that is before taxing etc.

Well, I am not in it for the money. I am a legal translator, and thought it would be fun and interesting to spend a few hours weekly out there applying my skills helping the disadv
... See more
Charlie, most of their assignments would actually be one hour or less, and with Czech being a small language, there'd be hardly ever be more than one on a day. So although "out of pocket" may be a slight exaggeration, it definitely falls well below the national minimum wage, and that is before taxing etc.

Well, I am not in it for the money. I am a legal translator, and thought it would be fun and interesting to spend a few hours weekly out there applying my skills helping the disadvantaged... The bit that does not feel right, though, is that there will be an agency making money on what from my end would amount to pro-bono work.

How do some people make living out of this?

Also, the MoJ/Capita is by far not the bottom end of the market, the NHS procurement is far worse in some places.
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yumedo
yumedo
Local time: 13:41
Please sharing your experience Jul 31, 2015

babylondon wrote:

Charlie, most of their assignments would actually be one hour or less, and with Czech being a small language, there'd be hardly ever be more than one on a day. So although "out of pocket" may be a slight exaggeration, it definitely falls well below the national minimum wage, and that is before taxing etc.

Well, I am not in it for the money. I am a legal translator, and thought it would be fun and interesting to spend a few hours weekly out there applying my skills helping the disadvantaged... The bit that does not feel right, though, is that there will be an agency making money on what from my end would amount to pro-bono work.

How do some people make living out of this?

Also, the MoJ/Capita is by far not the bottom end of the market, the NHS procurement is far worse in some places.


Hi Dear:

More than one year on , how do you find your new career as an interpreter in London? have you been starting work for capita since? do the company offer you enough work? particularly in the field of MOJ as you prefered?
I am considering to take on a DPIS course in the hope of after gaining the qualification I could start to work for the courts assignments which apparentely are the most well paid jobs, so sharing your past experience will help me to make a informative judgment.

Thanks very much

jack


 
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Privatization of legal interpreting services in the UK







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